Chapter I: Front Matter

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THE TRAINING OF WILD ANIMALS

THE TRAINING OF WILD ANIMALS

by

FRANK C. BOSTOCK

Edited by Ellen Velvin, F.Z.S. Author of “Rataplan: a Rogue Elephant,” etc.

New York The Century Co.

Copyright, 1903, by The Century Co.

Published July, 1903

Printed in U. S. A.

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
TO MY SON
FRANCIS EDWARD BOSTOCK

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I IN WHICH I BECOME “THE BOY TRAINER”--A LION HUNT IN A SEWER 3

II ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF WILD-ANIMAL TRAINING 23

III HOUSEKEEPING FOR WILD ANIMALS 34

IV THE FEEDING OF SNAKES AND ELEPHANTS 61

V CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS 76

VI “GOING BAD”--ANIMAL INSTINCT 97

VII HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAPTURED 109

VIII THE WILD ANIMALS’ KINDERGARTEN 120

IX HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE TAUGHT TRICKS 143

X AN ANIMAL SHOW AT NIGHT 166

XI THE PRINCIPLES OF TRAINING 182

XII THE ANIMAL TRAINER--SOME FAMOUS TRAINERS 202

XIII GUARDING AGAINST ACCIDENTS 226

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
Frank C. Bostock _Frontispiece_

Mr. Bostock and his eight lions 9

*Herman Weedon and his group of lions, tiger, brown, Tibet,
and sloth bears, Silesian boarhounds, and hyena 20

*The towering of the kings 26

“The Three Graces” 35

“Denver” and “Cæsar” 41

Mlle. Aurora and her polar bears 48

Lion monarchs in infancy 57

“Brandu,” the snake-charmer 64

M. Johnson and his trained elephant 70

*The old arm-chair 79

Madame Pianka 85
From a photograph by Chickering

Mr. Charles Miller and his Bengal tigers 95

Queer friends--camel, lionesses, and dromedary 106

Wild ass, quagga, and zebras 111

*Teaching a lion to ride a tricycle 122

Polar bear used at Pan-American Exposition for drawing
children’s carriage 127

Elephants and trainer 137

Trained but not tamed 148

“Depew” 154

*A difficult feat 163

*“Doc” balancing himself on a ball placed on a see-saw 169

*Jaguars, leopards, and panthers 179

*Exchanging confidences 190

The largest number of lions ever grouped 196

*Herman Weedon defying his fiercest lion 205

Captain Jack Bonavita 211
From a photograph by Frank

*Madame Morelli and her jaguars, panthers, and leopards 221

“Consul,” the chimpanzee 232

*Captain Bonavita carrying a lion weighing five hundred
pounds 238

Mr. Sam Stevenson 247
From a photograph by Frank

Polar bears at play 253

* From photographs by Hall.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Before editing this book, I took the opportunity offered by Mr. Frank C. Bostock of practically living in one of his animal exhibitions for a few weeks, in order to see things as they were, and not as I had always heard of them.

I was allowed to go in and out at all times and all hours; to enter the training-schools whenever I liked; to go behind the runways and cages,--a special privilege given to the trainers only, as a rule,--and to be a spectator of whatever happened to be going on at the time.

The thing which interested me most, and to which I paid special attention, was that at no time in this exhibition did I once see the slightest act of cruelty in any way. Each one of the trainers and keepers had pride in his own special animals, and I had many proofs of their kindness and consideration to their charges. The sick animals were most carefully looked after and doctored, and in one case of a lion cub having convulsions, I noticed dim eyes in more than one keeper when the poor little animal was convulsed and racked with suffering.

Had I seen the least cruelty or neglect in any way, I need scarcely say nothing would have induced me to edit this book.

ELLEN VELVIN.

NEW YORK CITY, June 8th, 1903.