ESCAPE OF WILD ANIMALS FROM A MENAGERIE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2126, 18 November 1890, Page 4

ESCAPE OF WILD ANIMALS FROM A MENAGERIE.

TERRIBLE SCENE —FOUR MEN EATEN BY LIONS-. The African Diamond Fields Advertiser describes a scene witnessed after ■II the animals in Fillis’ menagerie had been set loose by, it is alleged, some person who bad a grudge against the proprietor. The four lions, on bounding from their cages, attacked the jumping horse and the animal’s screams awoke the four attendants. Hastily arming themselves with stable forks, they rushed to the disturbance, evidently ignorant of the etate of things they had to contend with. The four men met a fearful death From the last few dying words of one of the Caffre boys to Mr Fillis, when he arrived upon the scene, it appears that he and his companions, when endeavoring to beat back the lion Pasha, were attacked in the rear by three other lions, anti one of the cheetahs ; 'hey were then torn limb from limb by the ferocious brutes, and the scene of th“ir death is one of indescribable horror. Having tasted blood the lions (male and female), the cheetahs, the wolves, and the leopards seemed to regain all the ferocity of their class, and Mr Fillis’ four Hungarian horses and the performing horses all fell victims. The elephant, frightened at the noise, in its endeavour to escape burst through the heavy iron gate and rushed out into the street, followed by nearly the whole of the animals, who appear to have been startled by something while engaged in their work of carnage in the stables. A cabman residing at Besconsfield, named Nelson, bad s narrow escape. Hearing the noise he drove down from Main street to see the animals rush ont. He likened the scene to the exict from Noah’s Ark. An elephant came first and a few seconds j afterwards rushed out a eonrused mob oi I lions, wo’ves, hyenas, baboons, leopards, | cLr»i»un, and jackals. The wolves immediately rushed upon Nelson’s horses and two of the lions attacked them also. Strange to say, they left the man himself unmolested, and he managed to climb op a post at Glover’s Athletic Bar, and secure file safety in one of tiie rooms. When last he saw his horses they were galloping madly down the road snorting and screaming with fear and pain, followed by the wolves and two of the lions. The remainder of the animals dispersed in all directions. A few of the

animals had deen recapiured at the time the mail w,t»s despatched, but one of the lions and # jackal had been sbo l .