ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

[peter]

Selling your grandmother sounds promising, but the documentary just isn't on the net. Not yet. However. I have two of the three parts on video. I want to give 'm to someone able to transfer the images. I'll ask him to bring it to the net when he is done.

The work we did in the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart was tough, but rewarding. Dr. Mörike, as you know, retired just after I was done. Although I knew, I sent her the result of the work we did anyhow. She was kind enough to sent me a lot of remarks I could use. This year, I want to visit the Budapest Natural History Museum and the museum in Bonn. I might visit Stuttgart in late summer, when I want to see the friend you met some years ago. Music, that is.

Later, I want to visit the Natural History Museum of Münich. You can come if you have time. There is, by the way, a guy in Nürnberg who knows more about big cats than most of us. He's the one who sent 'The Tiger's Claw' to me. He's not involved in forums, but knows his business. I'll tell him about you if you don't mind. 

A few weeks ago, I bought a German book called 'Dompteur und Bestie' (H. Dembeck, 1957). It has a number of stories about circus life in first decades of the last century. In those days, accidents were not uncommon. They were part of life. The stories on big cats, monkeys, the great apes, reptiles, elephants, dogs, camels, rhinos, intelligence (he wrote all animals were intelligent) and close bonds are very interesting. Bears, like I said before, were considered more dangerous than other animals. They fought each other, big cats and, at times, big herbivores. And then there is the story on the chimp and the wrestler in Japan.

The chimp, at 150 pounds, was told to wrestle a 220-pound professional wrestler from Japan who also had jiu-jitsu in his bag. In a friendly way, of course, his trainer said. The Japanese fighter (the circus was in Japan) was the first to bet on himself. He was to regret it. The chimp, by the way, had his own room in the wagon of his trainer. No chains, I mean. He was free to do as he pleased. He said he wanted a woman and a smoke every day. He got both. 

Animal activists all but finished the circus over here. In the future, there will be no more books on circus animals. From now on, animals will be animals and humans will be humans. An era has been closed because 'wild' animals were 'abused' and rules were broken. Yes, when humans are involved, anything is possible and it usually starts with broken rules and abuse. On the street, at school, at work, in politics, in sports and everywhere else too. This is part of what we are. 

The circus, I think, was a bit different. Over the years, I met many people working for circuses. The big, the small, the weird, the feeble, the strong and all the others. I don't think I ever saw a place I liked more. Most of those involved in animals in some way were very animal-like in that they were friendy, open-minded, inviting, forgiving, fitter and way more honest than others. The only exception was a very attractive lady performing with lions. But she didn't belong there and the others avoided her.

It is, in my opinion, a great shame that the vindictive, the crual and the dishonest (I worked with activists for some time when I was a volonteer in a rescue centre and noticed time and again many were driven by emotions they didn't understand) elected their opposites to project their frustrations and finish them.

I've seen trainers cry when they realized their animals had to be destroyed as a result of the decisions taken. And no doubt many hundreds were. I mean, who wants a 15-year old male tiger with a temper, a 24-year old bear only accepting his trainer or a horse who fought big cats and bears? Most zoos were not interested. They want white lions, white tigers, white elephants, white seals, white gorillas and white chimps. Those circus animals accepted by zoos faced a very different environment in that they no longer had the opportunity to interact with humans and other animals.

And then there are the 'visitors'.

One day, in a big zoo in a wealthy country, I was taken to a room that had objects found in 'food' thrown to the animals of the zoo. Many objects were found by keepers, but not every time. I noticed that many of those interested in zoos do not know that zoo animals often get hurt by objects intended to do as much damage as possible. I won't try to describe what I saw, as you would never forgive me. It was the harvest of one week only.       

Anyhow. The book is very cheap (no shipping costs for you) and you won't regret it. My advice is to buy it and post a few stories in the section on captive animals when you can. They will be appreciated by many. 

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