AN ESCAPED LIONESS, OR A DONKEY, NO JACKALS.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 748, 3 April 1877, Page 3

AN ESCAPED LIONESS, OR A DONKEY, NO JACKALS.

i Great excitement was caused m the zoological gardens, near Cincinnati, recently, by an escape of a lioness •from her cage.- - ?llov^ the beast broke out of her cage is not known. : A boy was leading* donkey to its crib near by, when he heard a crash, and the lioness was upon him. " He rdn screaming, the lioness with one^ieap wks pri the . dpnkey*s back, but he jumped , and threw her off, and leaped out through ■; .the' -'door. ; The lioness was after the donkey and v pbh him. again j and they fought down a .hill . towards 'the road. Again the donkey threw the lioness off/ oAt the first attack' she had ! '■'. bitten him badly on the' right hind fchigh, cutting through. As the Hpne,ss came up for a third attack, the donkeys which did not now show any disposition to get aw^yy turned suddenly^'and let fly his hind' hoofs against herright lower jaw, knocking her over, and. evidently astonishing her. In the next minute they oaine. together -when the lioness struck the donkey an rigly blow with; her heavy paw; acrpss the I head, staggering: him/ The blew did npt cut ncr did it knock him down, Again the donkey, which seemed now to understand %e'situation, completely, anji to fight & at his b6st, struck out with hii» liindfeet, striking the liOiieSs iii J the flank. Still strong, she jumped upon > him again, and buried ; her teeth through the skin and into ; the flesn of his hind legs. This, tinie the donkey shook her ; off aud kicked Tier over, P.nd then, putting' his teeth 1 together m the back of her neck, lifted her two or three feet above the ground, shook her as a dog shakes d rat, and then threw her down. There she

lay exhausted and weak for a few minutes. Then it was that the undaunted donkey, still ready to fight, was taken away by Assistant Superintendent John Kearney and Mr Roots, who ventured within five feet of the prostrate; beast, to take hold cf the brave donkey, which, bleedingf at several points, was led off to the stable door. In this fight the two animals had struggled over a distance pf nearly three hundred feet down hill and up. Having recovered wind, the lioness, rejoicing m her liberty, gathered herself up, and commenced ; exercising, to show what she could .^d«V Three or four men were badly bitten, but she was ultimately shot dead.