ANIMAL TRAINERS.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 October 1921, Page 3

ANIMAL TRAINERS.

VXD THEIR METHODS. | LONDON, August 3. I -“The animals are only outside, sir,” This was tile frequent remark made by the trainers who yesterday gave evidence at the House of Commons before the Select Committee which is comjftiering the proposed Performing Animals Bill. They were addressing the chairman ' f the Committee and were anxious to be allowed to bring their lifts into the House to show that “it is all done by kindnes's.” Rut the chairman was obdurate and outside the tnilmils remained. There was quite a menagerie split up in different corners close to the House. Mr Judd, one of the trainers, arrived leading a large chimpanzee, which, he told the policeman on guard was quite harmless. He wanted to release it among the members of the Committee to show them how playful it One trainer took several performing d. g., with him and another had a trouple of monkels. “BLACK SHEEP.” Mr James Sanger, the circus proprietor who was the first witness, said that the charges of cruelty that had been made could llot he levelled against responsible trainers. In every sphere of life there were black sheep and lif gilt ic very hard that after 100 years without a black mark Sanger’s Circus should end because of these black sheep.», lie thought nine]) of the objection to trained animals had come from the theatrical people, who were upset at seeing their names on the “hill” in smaller type than those of the performing animals. Mr Sanger suggested that rather Ulan passed a law to wipe out performing animals the training in those tricks which involved cruelty should be prohibited. Mr Sanger denied that fear was at [ the bottom of the training. “An ani- I mat aliieh is animated by fear,’’ li'M said, “will not conn' to you. It must respect you you and recognise your 1 authority, hut it won’t do that if ; t fears you.” I Mr Sanger described as “abject pit'll c’ ’ the talk about hut irons in connection with animal training The story arose from a “bouncing lion” performance which was a very popu- j lar feature some years ago in menage- ■ rios This was presumably u very vici- .' oils lion and to make the show more startling a mail used to enter the cage with-hot irons supposedly to protect himself and it made the lion fiercer “A bouncing lion.” said Mr Sanger., “is, as a matter of fact. the. tamest lion you can possibly have.” BEAR “DRUNK” ON MILK. ( Mr Sanger described how n woman | once sent io his circus an Ii.S.P.C.A. i inspector because she alleged they were making a Ivar drink. Wliat happened was that a clown gave the hear a hull I? and alter a drink die near rolled iivia. The bottle colli aim'd milk. (Laughter . All tri'ks were abnormal, hut some people could train animals liv kindness, while others were not cap- 1 able of training anil they had to use cruelty'in order to establish authority.! “You must treat animals as you do children,” he said. Mr Sanger said lie did not deny that t! ere was cruelty, and lie thought the penalties should he very severe ; hut

cm ndtv wns umloubloilly civin t wav »o nio’-c liimtiuii 1 t rciuncnt. Mr Ilarrop, general manager (if tlso I'!•’cl<pool Tower Co. for HD years, said only on one or two occasions had lie had occasion to call anybody to account lor cruelty, lie never engaged wild animal acts hern use they terrified the children. KLKI’II A.VT THAT K11.1.K0 Til AIN Kit. Mr Lockhart, equestrian director at the Tower Circus, Blackpool, who said his father was killed by an elephant that he had trained, said the accident occurred when the animal ran away and was in danger of trotting on to the railway. The statement that his lather was cruel to the animal was not time. Klephants, said Mr Lockhart, were trained to stand on two kegs hy their legs being lilted hy the trainer, who rewarded them if'they did it well. In time they did it naturally. It was not true that his father, who was the proprietor of the original '•Lockhart’s elephants,” goaded elephants to petI'orm tricks. Mr Lockhart said some ol the host tricks he had seen on the stage had Boon Started hy the animals themselves and then utilised and developed hy the trainers: He believed the intelligence of dogs was such that they liked a great part of the performance. The h(vst trainers were Germans, lmt their methods of training would give a trainer a very had name in Lnglund. Asked if many trained animals cairn* to this country front the ( ontinent, Mi | Lockhart said very few did now. j