|
Animal trainers
|
Here is a great breakdown of who Charly Baumann was and some excerpts from the Book.
Charly Baumann, Circus Trainer of Big Cats, Dies at 72 By PAUL LEWIS Published: March 4, 2001 [*] Charly Baumann, a German-born trainer of big cats, died on Jan. 24 in Sarasota, Fla., where he lived. He was 72. Mr. Baumann made his reputation as a circus trainer of performing tigers in a spectacular Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus act that eventually included 16 tigers. He said he was the first trainer to teach five prostrate tigers to roll over simultaneously. His tigers also learned to stand on revolving glass globes, leap through blazing hoops and walk on their rear legs. A longtime trainer of lions, Mr. Baumann decided to switch to tigers in 1957 after watching a German circus act. It persuaded him that the tiger, with its ''soft, smooth, catlike'' movements was ''the most beautiful creature of all.'' He then acquired eight tigers and started teaching them tricks. The transition, he once wrote, ''was like going from drums to a violin.'' Comparing lions with tigers was akin to ''studying the difference between hard and soft,'' he wrote in his 1975 autobiography, ''Tiger, Tiger.'' ''Lions were heavy'' and teaching them tricks required ''sharp, deliberate movements,'' he wrote. But tigers were ''light'' and responded best to ''delicate, smooth'' gestures. Training tigers was slow and difficult because unlike lions, which live together in communities, tigers are solitary beasts, living alone in the wild and generally avoiding one another's company except in the mating season. In 1964 Mr. Baumann and his tigers moved to the United States from Germany, joining the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Mr. Baumann spent the next two decades with the circus, becoming its star animal trainer. ''I truly became the tiger trainer I had always dreamed of being,'' he wrote of that time. He gave his last performance in the ring in Cleveland in 1983. By then he had also moved into circus management, becoming performance director before his retirement in 1991. Heinz E. Baumann was born on Sept. 14, 1928, in Berlin, where his father was a movie stuntman and the owner of a riding stable. The Nazis sent his parents to concentration camps for helping a Jewish patron escape to Spain. His father died in the gas chambers of Bergen-Belsen; his mother survived Ravensbruck. After spending time in an orphanage, Mr. Baumann joined the German navy. He was captured by American forces but escaped when an unexploded bomb went off, blowing a hole in the prison camp fence. Back with his mother in Berlin, he scavenged for food until she got the first of many circus jobs, shoveling manure. He learned lion training from Willi Hagenbeck, the German trainer at Circus Bügler, who did not use physical force but taught his animals their tricks by rewarding them with morsels of meat. The animal acts Mr. Baumann presented were calm and elegant, stressing the empathy between trainer and beast. They contrasted starkly with the macho style of trainers like Wolfgang Holzair and Clyde Beatty, who sought to terrify the audience by staging mock confrontations with their animals. In his 1980 book ''Behind the Big Top,'' David Lewis Hammarstrom cited ''the gracious Charly Baumann'' as a fine example of ''civilized behavior between man and beast.'' In 1952 Mr. Baumann moved to Circus Roland, which he built up over the next decade into a major European attraction with the aid of one of its owners, Ada Auredan, who became his mistress and helped him develop a Tarzan-like physique with a high-protein diet. Empathy for his lions and tigers was not to save Mr Baumann from accidents, however. He suffered many maulings, the worst in 1963 when a powerful tiger called Assur put him in the hospital for six weeks. In some ways Mr. Baumann's retirement and death represent a turning point in the development of the modern circus. Animal trainers are members of a fast-declining profession. ''Charly Baumann belonged to a dying breed,'' said Ernest Albrecht, editor of Spectacle, a circus magazine. ''There aren't many animal trainers left.'' The animal rights movement and popular distaste for caging wild animals is one factor, said Mr. Albrecht. Then there is the spectacular success of animal-free circuses like Cirque du Soleil. But Mr. Baumann belonged to the world of animals and adjusted his tactics. In Britain during the 1950's he was prohibited from taking a whip into the tiger cage, so he ostentatiously exchanged it for the orchestra conductor's baton before each performance and ''conducted'' his tigers instead. He is survived by his wife, the former Araceli Rodriguez, a Spanish-born showgirl. Photo: Charly Baumann with one of his charges at a Madison Square Garden performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. (Circus World Museum, 1968) http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/04/nyregi...at-72.html I just skimmed through "Tiger, Tiger. My 25 years with big cats" and I will elaborate on some points mentioned in this article plus some other points not mentioned as well as some images from the book I found cool. By Charly Bauman Here some quick notes -He started with all male lion act, the man Eric Klant who was the owner was always spread to thin, had 8 different wild animal acts as well as traveling all over Europe and told Baumann that he would be hosting the big cat act after only 2 weeks of training. Baumann Successfully did the all male Lion act and proceeded to work with lions for some time. He actually started the lion act after witnessing a trainer be severely mauled which speaks to his bravery or stupidity depending on how you want to look at it. -Bauman received a lion named Sultan who was pre trained from a mixed act and buaman could tell he was trained since he'd do the tricks asked of him that only a previously trained animal could do. But Sultan was a "bad lion" one minute he'd be your best friend and the next minute he'd be attacking you. Later on he started to become an instigator and triggered the two other lions "Said and Emer" to be "bad lions" as well and they would fight to establish dominance but once their squabbling ended the become good performers. -Bauman also speaks on lions in heat becoming aggressive and that both "males and females" come into heat and a male lion will mount another male same as it would a female if one isn't present. -Bauman saw a tiger performance for the first time and immediately fell in love. Tigers were not easy to come by and they were expensive but he had to have them. -He talks about tigers having very distinct personalities and actually reading his emotions and acting accordingly. Supposedly they can't speak human obviously but they can communicate very effectively and can read our state of mind and will react to it. -He went and trained with Hagenbeck and he decided the most dangerous animal to train is the polar bear and trainers would actually wear protection on their genitals since the polar bear was notorious for attacking that region. The way Hagenbeck would counter act this is Black bears believe it or not. The Black bears would always protect him, whenever the Polar bear would make a move at him the black bears would attack it from behind and this began to discourage the polar bear since every time they would have to take a bite from a bear if they wanted to make a run at him. -Baumann wasn't a fan of Beattys tactics but respected his showmanship. -He was attacked by his most powerful tiger, Assur (all his tigers were indian tigers and he ended up breeding them him self) -His tigers really showed a struggle if they inbred, he calls them "stargazers" and says they had trouble learning tricks and he compared them to being "retarded" -Tiger courtship is more difficult, Tigers apparently need to fall in a sort of "love" with eachother and need to begin courting before they can breed. But he was amazed that once a courtship begin that the tigers would literally breed all day and night.... up to 35 times a day and after every encounter it would end in a mighty roar and attack on each other, but that was their way.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Outside of the statements posted about lions v tigers he really has nothing to say about it. He never really did mixed acts and he was obviously in love with tigers so he speaks of them with a bit more favoritism when discussing their comprehension and individualistic personalities. Next up is Clyde Beatty 
I don't think that tigers are that much more catlike and fluid in their movements than lions, only slightly more fluid than a lion. A lion can learn to move like a tiger, but with a little more training and less grouchiness. Not all information received from trainers is to be true, including the fact that polar bears aren't aggressive as much (at least in interspecific terms, not intraspecific terms) in their wild habitats as they are in zoos/circuses/menageries.
Plus, all animals have some separate sort of personality, similar to our situation. From what I've read, tigers and bears are just as aggressive as lions during heat/mating times.
I have read quite a bit of animal trainers and there are usually some common grounds, a couple of those are these statements
-Tigers a bit more agile, faster with their movements and more unpredictable than lions -Lions are more about Hierarchy and the Group and Tigers are more about themselves. -Lions are bit more rigid in their movements -Lions are overly aggressive/possessive during mating season where a tiger doesn't seem to care as much and certainly isn't as protective over the female, just his breeding rights. Tigers just all and all seem to not handle captivity as well compared to lions, lions have more of a one track mind and as long as they are taken care of in the female and food dep't they usually do just fine where a tiger is a bit more sensitive and susceptible to a number of emotional issues, Stress and anxiety seem to be two major factors. This is purely an observation made by me from reading multiple big cat trainers takes on the animals. My guess to this is probably the brain of the tiger, I know some will still debate who's smarter but the fact remains that the tiger has the larger brain of the two and with a larger brain may come more complex thoughts, may be they have these emotional breakdowns because they are able to have a bit more complex internal thoughts. (Purely speculation by me) I have only read a few trainers speak about polar bears but so far I am getting the gist that they are aggressive creatures with very unpredictable nature But all and all, of course its going to come down to individual personalities and also the scenarios they are trained under.
Next up is Clyde Beattys "facing the big cats"
Here is my take on him He obviously favors the lion in every way, when comparing the two he makes sure to give you an impressive example of a Lions feats and if the Tiger is capable of this same feat he may mention it in a slighter way. For instance  *This image is copyright of its original author Here you will see his style of over exaggeration Page 323  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author So as you can see, he usually talks quite enthusiastically for the lion and the tiger seems to get his 2nd Fidel treatment, but that being said he is still coming from a place of experience and some of his points make sense to me. I certainly think he is biased but I have read other trainers who were as well, so we must look past that. Where Beatty differentiates is the opinions on Tiger and Lion intelligence, I will say he admits hunters and wild life experts he has spoken with will usually say the tiger is the more intelligent animal but he makes cases for the lion as well and he isn't wrong in some of his observations or counter arguments. He even gives credit to one expert who says the tiger is more powerful between the two and even says "said" expert absolutely knows what they are talking about and gives their opinion absolute credence. So in that sense, he wasn't just some blind lion fanatic, hes opinion is just as valid as any other trainer. Next is the fact that there seemed to be some debate between American Big Cat training and German training.... You saw it from Baumann towards Beatty and reading this book you see why Baumann feels that way, beatty takes multiple jabs at "german trainers" for training their animals with a reward (meat) as oppose to training them via "fear" (blank gun shots and whips) He states that he feeds his full grown cats between 15-18lbs of meat a day Lions or Tigers have just as good a memory as an elephant or any other animal (uses a lioness that hadn't performed a trick for over 2 years who then performed it easily when asked later on as an example.) He actually started with Bears when Lois Roth let him train with Roth's polar bears Notes on Bears -Polar bears he trained were up to 1000lbs, Sultan was the worst tempered and Roth told him to never take the whip to Sultan but the problem was that beatty couldn't tell sultan apart from numerous bears who were built just like him. -Polar Bear are very smart -His Russian brown bears and tigers hated each other. He had one particularly bad tempered bear who would swipe at female tigers when they entered the arena then he would get smacked and clawed and realized they weren't to be taken lightly. He never forgot that and unable to attack the first female that did it to him he went after "Lil" another female who was stretched out above him and she fell below him then he immediately jumped on her and shook violently until he broke her neck. Beatty stated that the tigers usually kill the bears very quickly and he thought that this particular bear knew they were dangerous and thus never let go of his grip for fear that it would mean his demise if he did. He said brown bears when fighting with their mouth usually would bite and let go then bit again, repeating this but it was the first time he had seen a bear do the opposite. Hence why he came to that hypothesis I still need to read the entire book but what I have taken away from this book is that he certainly was a bit more bias towards lions but maybe he was a bit more defensive about his favorite animal since he seemed to be on the opposite end of popular opinion and would have to defend his stance more readily. Next up is Courtney Riley but I'm still waiting on the book. (02-09-2016, 03:17 AM)Pckts Wrote: I have read quite a bit of animal trainers and there are usually some common grounds, a couple of those are these statements The first four points are okay, but the fifth one, I am referring to a wild tiger, not a trained tiger. I've seen/read accounts of tigers attacking other resident tigers simply because they thought that the victim tiger was homing on to his mate (and note that, in some of these accounts, these tigers were "territories" apart from each other.) I can provide some if you want, I have it on my USB drive. I don't really think that tigers are more capable of emotional complexity than lions. Felines, small and big, are very stern and cold when it comes to expressing their emotions, rather than a dog or bear who actively engages in emotional expression. Emotional breakdown increase in tigers? I don't really understand that concept, could you clarify that for me, please? However, I agree with tigers possessing increased strategical intelligence (since they're alone and have to adapt to hunting different large prey) and slightly more memory than lions. Situational awareness, logical/emotional intelligence, and skill learning rate are very similar among the two, in my opinion. Although, ursids take the lead in most of mental abilities. I will have to say this, though. It seems that these two cats were subjected to different methods of training, socialization, behavior, appearance, and/or skill, thus the reason why some trainers prefer one over the other. I am still really doubtful of circus trainers'/big cat trainers' opinions as they seem to have bias as well as little to none knowledge of the animals in their wild form. (02-09-2016, 05:09 AM)Pckts Wrote: Next up is Clyde Beattys "facing the big cats" Beatty's message that "tigers usually kill the bears very quickly" is a very wrong idea to propose, indeed. Again, from a wild perspective, big cats and bears have been feuding for ages now: big cats usually hunt the prey that bears aren't quite good at catching, and big cats usually draw or lose against a bear (though some have won under extreme circumstances) in carcass-domination or death-driven fights. About captivity, though, either can kill each other very quickly. The bear might not want to get involved with fighting a friendly adversary and ends up getting clamped around the throat with the tiger's jaws, or the bear, in a expression of utmost hate, might want to kill the tiger with a single blow or bite to the cranium. In captivity, it depends on the circumstances. In the wild, the confrontations usually become one-sided towards the bear's favour, since both animals have respect (and killing instinct/defense if needed) for each other, and the bear is all about seeking domination whilst the tiger's policy is to "mind one's own business and ignore him, unless he tries to kill me."
I will further elaborate on what I meant tomorrow, before then I will say that beattys bias nature wasn't only directed towards the lion, he also refers to bears as "lesser" creatures and I have my doubts about how many actual encounters he has truly seen between bear and cat. I know without a doubt how formidable a bear is, it's no easy kill for any animal.
But once again, we must only use his account as one of many and try to come up with a clearer picture. Also please note that my posting their info by no means says that I agree or disagree and it certainly holds no true regard to their wild counter parts. This is purely unnatural to any of these cats. 
PC
In post 77, Baumann refers to trainer Eric Klant, who later became known as 'Klant' Hagenbeck (Hagenbeck was his adopted father). Klant was a trainer who later had a training facility in Valkenburg (the Netherlands). It featured in a documentary I saw at the IDFA-documentary festival in Amsterdam many years ago. When I had interviewed a number of trainers, I got the number of Klant. I called him and we talked for a long time. He asked me to send him a letter with everything that was discussed and later responded. Same for the questions I had. Klant's answers are interesting, as he probably worked with more animals than all others. One day, he called me from the airport. He said he wanted to continue the discussion on big cats as soon as he returned. We set a date, but he died before we met. A great pity. He was involved in animals till the day he died. Polar One could write a book on tigers and bears. Wild animals first. Interactions between Sumatran tigers and sun bears were described in a number of books written by Dutch hunters. Although little is known, they seem to avoid each other. There are exceptions. There is a newspaper report on a fight between a sun bear and a tiger. Both perished. The report had no information on gender and age. I found more in the books I read and posted on it in the tiger-extinction thread. Indian tigers and sloth bears co-exist in many parts of India. Incidents are quite rare, but there is no question that some male tigers hunt bears. Although sloth bears are more than capable to stand their ground, I never heard of a tiger killed. Not so the other way round. Himalayan black bears, larger than their relatives in southeastern Russia, are more formidable opponents than sloth bears. Corbett described a fight between a large and very fat male bear and an adult male tiger. Although injured (he was scalped and his nose was broken), the bear chased the tiger and took his cow. I heard more rumours pointing in the same direction, but didn't find any reports. Tigers and Himalayan bears trapped in 'rings' in Nepal fought at times. In the cases witnessed, the bears fought together and chased the tigresses. Male tigers in northern India and Nepal are among the largest, but adult male Himalayan black bears are more than capable to handle a tiger. In Vietnam, Himalayan black bears and tigers also met at times. I never found anything about interactions, but male bears were even larger than those in the Himalayas. The only tigers habitually hunting bears are Amur tigers. Although there is a lot of information, it isn't easy to find your way. In some regions tiger hunt bears quite often, but in others they are not hunted at all. Many reports contradict each other. Some time ago, Ursus arctos middendorffi (now a mod in Carnivora) send me a link to a new study on food habits of Amur tigers. I posted extensively on it in the tiger extinction thread. In the study, Kerley, Miquelle and others admitted they could have been wrong in some departments. Tigers apparently hunt bears more often than they thought, especially in summer and in autumn. It's also clear the bears they hunt are larger than they assumed. Many researchers who thought that tigers avoid large bears because of the risks, had to adjust their opinion. Another researcher (Tkachenko), reporting on tigers and bears in a reserve close to Chabarowsk, confirmed that bears are an important source of food. Things, therefore, seem to be a bit different than many thought. As to adult males. Many years ago, Russian researchers concluded brown bears win 'on points'. They also concluded tigers probably dominate the cruiser class (150-200 kg.). After that mark, brown bears, even when similar in weight, seem to have the advantage. The reason is extra-thick layers of muscle in the neck. But Krechmar, also an undisputed authority, thought there isn't much to choose between both in a fysical fight. Bears well exceeding 200 kg. most probably go unchallenged (for the simple reason Amur tigers seldom, if ever, compare), but animals of that size are few and far between. As to the popular notions on tigers, exhaustion and the need for quick victories. There are numerous instances of tigers involved in lengthy all-out brawls with bears and lions. Maybe Amur tigers quickly overheat in snowy conditions, but the fights witnessed in captivity point in another direction. The main reason tigers struggle in drawn-out fights with bears is they face a more robust animal. Most wild male tigers killed in fights were young adults, whereas the bear was described as 'large' or 'very large'. When both are similar in weight, however, tigers seem to have the best chance. That, al least, is the opinion of those who witnessed fights. Vaillant, in his book on a man-eater in Russia in the nineties of the last century, talked to those in the know and this was the conclusion they (not he) got to. Miquelle thought his book was excellent. Same for me. It is a fact that the margins are close when both are similar in size and age. Most victors have a decisive advantage: male beats female, old beats young and big beats small. As simple as that. Prime males are not often killed in a fair fight. It happens, but the outcome of an encounter often is unpredictable. It's individuality all the way. Based on what I saw and heard (captive animals), I agree. I can also confirm that youngish animals, like in humans, often tend to go for it, size deficit or not. The most able fighters I saw (ferocity, speed, acceleration and teeth) could have been Sumatrans. Compared to them, all larger cats and bears appeared to be clumsy. Although the Lord of War likes size, I'm not so sure after what I saw. They definitely stand a decent chance, but that's only an opinion. As to the remarks on tigers and bears in your posts. Remember this is a forum visited by many. You are a good poster, but we, no insult intended, want to prevent firm opinions. Same for lions and tigers and lions and bears. The reason is the outcome of a fight between two animals of similar size often is unpredictable. There probably are a few general rules, but there are exceptions to every rule. So many, that it's difficult to get to statements at the best of times. You just never know and that's the message we want to convey.
@peter
I really look forward to your interview with Klant, he certainly had a huge amount of animals back then and his word would be something to learn from I'm sure. What a shame that he passed before you could meet up. @Polar "I don't really think that tigers are more capable of emotional complexity than lions. Felines, small and big, are very stern and cold when it comes to expressing their emotions, rather than a dog or bear who actively engages in emotional expression. Emotional breakdown increase in tigers? I don't really understand that concept, could you clarify that for me, please?" That was basically my point, may be tigers have slightly more exaggerated emotions since they may possess a comprehension of their situation better than another cat, but this is purely a guess. It
Next up is Courtney Ryley Cooper
He started off as a run-away circus boy who's first experience with big cats was watching a man at the circus brutally beat a lion so bad until it went blind and beat 3 leopards so bad that he turned them into man haters and eventually man killers once they finally got their claws on a circus superintendent and killed him. Needless to say since that was his only experience with big cat circus trainers he thought that was the only way it was to be done. Later when he began to pursue this his next mentor had a completely different approach. He sent in Cooper to walk in his cats, 3 lions and 3 tigers and all he gave cooper was a useless whip and said all he had to do was say "seat" and the cats gave him a quick hiss then proceeded to go straight to their pedestals. You can tell this was an eye opener for him, he began to realize that these cats have their own personality and respond to love far better than abuse. He also began to communicate to them, lions would "meow" and tigers and leopards would "purr" and if he attempted to communicate this in the same way the cats knew that meant that he was pleased by them and they would always respond the same way. He also learned that just because an animal makes vicious noises and roars doesn't mean its upset and he would use it to make the crowd think that he was dealing with the most ferocious beast alive, he compared it to playing with some dogs that growl and bark while others stay silent.  *This image is copyright of its original author Cooper had an admiration for Captain Dutch Ricardo and Mabel Stark  *This image is copyright of its original author another story with stark and "nig" the jaguar  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author here he talks about how important it is to raise an elephant with love and respect or else that animal will turn on you one day and that will be your last.  *This image is copyright of its original author also interesting to note is Leopard and Tigers hatred for canine and to a lesser extent, Lions. Even more hatred towards the canine is their hatred towards hyena  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author In regards to Lion and Tiger interaction, he does seem to feel as though the Tiger is the superior fighter but that doesn't me he is biased. He never makes it a point to pay any real mind to the outcome of any fights between any species out side of 2 events to make his point, he was talking about animals being bullied. One animal was an old male hippo who was continuously abused by two youngster elephants until finally one day he had enough and snapped and attacked them both and the second event is the famous Lion vs Tiger fight that saw the lion adopt the tigers fighting style of going up on two legs to leave his paws free and after being bullied by the tiger he finally had enough and a massive fight ensued that left the tiger dead.  *This image is copyright of its original author The mane played a factor in this fight as he said this time the tigers claws got caught in the mane and the lion took advantage of it and was able to kill the tiger. All and all, it was a pretty good book, nothing really new to note as he doesn't get into specifics that often. But you can tell that he adopted the approach of a much more modern idea that animals have feelings too. Im looking for any new recommendations, I'm thinking of Mabel stark next.
I just ordered 'Living With Big Cats: The Story of Jungle Larry, Safari Jane, and David Tetzla... & "The final confession of Mabel Stark" but until then, here is a great biography write up on mabel stark
 *This image is copyright of its original author Mabel Stark was the most famous female tiger tamer ever. She worked with the animals from 1911 to 1968, was mauled many times, and kept coming back for more, even into her old age. The story of Stark's early life is hard to pin down accurately, as she embellished the facts liberally to make a good story in various interviews and her autobiography. Most sources agree she was born in Kentucky with the name Mary Haynie, although she said at least once that she was born in Canada. Her birthdate varied, but appears to be around 1889. She was an only child or one of seven, and her parents died within the same month or two years apart when she was 11 or 13 or 17. We know that she was trained as a nurse before she joined a circus as a hoochie-coochie dancer somewhere around 1909. But Stark later claimed she went straight from nursing school to the Al G. Barnes Circus in 1911 to become an animal trainer.  *This image is copyright of its original author No one starts out in the circus as a tiger tamer, however. Stark was assigned to riding horses, which she hated. She wanted to work with tigers, the most dangerous animal in the circus. Stark approached the circus' head animal trainer, Hungarian Louis Roth, and trained under him -and was even married to him for a short time. Roth would have preferred for Stark to work with lions, but she insisted on tigers. Roth advocated training big cats by rewarding them with meat, as opposed to just beating them into submission as earlier trainers did. In other words, Roth used the carrot and the stick instead of just the stick. Stark's first big cat performance was with two lions and two tigers, and she eventually worked up to as many as 18 tigers at once.  *This image is copyright of its original author Stark took in a sickly tiger cub that was rejected by his mother and raised him by hand. Rajah became instrumental in making Stark a star. She developed a shocking signature act in which she wrestled Rajah, causing the audience to believe she was being mauled. She admitted years later that Rajah was actually relieving himself sexually during this act, which looks very much like a vicious attack to anyone not familiar with tiger behavior. Stark started wearing a white uniform at this time so that the audience would not see tiger semen. The white costume became her signature, which she used for the rest of her career.  *This image is copyright of its original author The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus hired Stark away from Barnes in 1920. By then Stark had divorced Roth and was a star act. She married the circus's accountant Albert Ewing, who was embezzling funds from Ringling. They divorced when the crime was uncovered, but Stark believed she was being punished for her husband's sins when the circus cut all big cat acts in 1925. Ringling chiefs claimed that the cage took too long to assemble and tear down during a performance. Stark was still under contract, though, and was assigned to a horse act. Her tigers were kept on in the circus's menagerie, which was supervised by Art Rooney. Mabel later claimed that she married her first husbands for practical reasons, but she fell in love with Rooney. They soon married, which surprised other circus employees because Rooney wore makeup and nail polish, and they assumed he was not the marrying kind. Rooney died soon after under circumstances that were not recorded.  *This image is copyright of its original author Stark was touring with the John Robinson Company when she was badly injured in 1928. The circus train was late getting to the venue in Bangor, Maine, the tigers were getting wet in the rain, and there was no time to feed them before the show. Normally, a cat act would be delayed or cancelled for this reason. But Stark let the show go on. Two hungry tigers named Sheik and Zoo mauled her during the show. Stark's own description of the incident: Quote:"Sheik was right behind me, and caught me in the left thigh, tearing a two-inch gash that cut through to the bone and almost severed my left leg just above the knee. . .I could feel blood pouring into both my boots, but I was determined to go through with the act. . .(Zoo) jumped from his pedestal and seized my right leg, jerking me to the ground. As I fell, Sheik struck out with one paw, catching the side of my head, almost scalping me. . .Zoo gave a deep growl and bit my leg again. He gave it a shake, and planting both forefeet with his claws deep in my flesh, started to chew. . .I wondered into how many pieces I would be torn. . .Most of all I was concerned for the audience. . .I knew it would be a horrible sight if my body was torn apart before their eyes. And all my tigers would be branded as murderers and sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in narrow cages instead of being allowed the freedom of the big arena and the pleasure of working. That thought gave me strength to fight."Stark managed to leave the cage with the help of another animal trainer, and insisted on changing out of her blood-soaked stage clothing before going to the hospital. Doctors sewed muscles and skin back together with 378 stitches, but did not expect her to survive. She was back to work within a few weeks, although the injuries troubled her and she was in and out of hospitals several times over the next two years for further muscle repair.  *This image is copyright of its original author That was only the first of three serious maulings Stark suffered. In 1933, during a show featuring 18 tigers, one bit through her arm. She finished her act with the arm hanging limp before seeking medical attention. In 1950, Stark survived her third serious mauling, when her right arm was so mangled that it required 175 stitches. Once again, she recovered. But those were just the "severe" maulings -Mabel Stark had many other incidents in which she was injured by a big cat throughout her career. She always blamed herself, or other factors, but never the tigers. She loved them and respected them, but also said there was no such thing as a "tame tiger."  *This image is copyright of its original author Stark announced her retirement a couple of times, but always returned to performing. She appeared with various circuses through the 1930s. She worked as a stunt double in the lion-taming scenes for Mae West in the 1933 film I'm No Angel, which West wrote, possibly inspired by Stark's career. Hollywood work introduced Stark to Louis Goebel's Jungleland, a Thousand Oaks, California, facility that housed trained animals for movies. It later became a theme park, and Mabel Stark went to work there in 1938, eventually on a permanent basis. During her 30 years at Jungleland, she also found time to take her tiger act on the road to Europe and Japan. And she got married for the last time. Her fourth (or possibly fifth) husband was menagerie keeper Ed Trees, who died in 1953.  *This image is copyright of its original author Jungleland was bought and sold several times during Stark's tenure, and the park declined financially through the 1960s (it was finally dismantled in 1969). The new owner in 1968 did not like Stark, and fired her. The 79-year-old tiger tamer did not want to retire. The loss of her job, combined with an incident in which one of her tigers escaped and was killed, sent her into despair. Mabel Stark took an overdose of barbiturates, and was found dead by her housekeeper on April 20, 1968. According to her 1938 autobiography Hold That Tiger, Stark would have preferred to die at the hands of a tiger than by any other means, but it was not to be. She had already survived that fate. http://mentalfloss.com/article/48808/mab...ady-tigers (02-09-2016, 09:10 AM)peter Wrote: One could write a book on tigers and bears. Wild animals first. In total agreement. (02-09-2016, 09:10 AM)peter Wrote: Interactions between Sumatran tigers and sun bears were described in a number of books written by Dutch hunters. Although little is known, they seem to avoid each other. There are exceptions. There is a newspaper report on a fight between a sun bear and a tiger. Both perished. The report had no information on gender and age. I found more in the books I read and posted on it in the tiger-extinction thread. I do not know much about interactions between tigers and sun bears in their native habitat, but what I do know is that they tend to avoid each other as much as often just like any other interaction between big cat and bear. The account of the two dying was a bit weird, as I expected the tiger to win (the sun bear was lower than the tiger in weight), but who knows? That tiger must have been sick, a female, etc... the account is poorly detailed. (02-09-2016, 09:10 AM)peter Wrote: Indian tigers and sloth bears co-exist in many parts of India. Incidents are quite rare, but there is no question that some male tigers hunted bears not so long ago. They still do at times. Although sloth bears are more than capable to stand their ground, I never heard of a tiger killed. Not so the other way round. Males bears are killed as well at times. Read the authentic reports in the JBNHS. Now, about sloth bears: it is true that they get killed often by resident male tigers. I've read the JBNHS reports (on an internet search to the direct journal and on the old Animal vs Animal Yuku forum where you posted some of them). They are pretty interesting, but I have to add that I have a scientific report from 1979, specifically from two researchers (their last names Ahdhara and Bush, respectively). Basically, they investigate a few carcasses of female tigers, young male tigers, and even one resident male tiger (6 in total), and come to the conclusion that the killings were based off of sloth bears, mainly for two reasons: 1. The coarse mane hair of the sloth bear is often incredibly ragged and too coarse like "steel wool" unlike most other bears. They've found claws identical to those of a sloth bear as well as a few hairs identical to that of the sloth bear. 2. No other species of bears reside in the area the researchers studied the tiger carcasses in, which was the southernmost part of the Uttar Pradesh region (not the north part where Himalayan black bears reside, right above the Uttar Pradesh-Madhya Pradesh border.) If you want me to, I can provide the report. In all, both can kill each other given any circumstance (or drive another away, in some cases). It's an ongoing feud between the two for now. I'll reply to the rest of your post later, but I have to sleep right now. 
Personally, I have an extremely difficult time referring to anyone involved in a circus as being an animal "trainer." Animal abuser and tormentor, yes.
(02-11-2016, 09:46 AM)stoja9 Wrote: Personally, I have an extremely difficult time referring to anyone involved in a circus as being an animal "trainer." Animal abuser and tormentor, yes. Understood, but remember.... A lot has changed in the past 100 years. Once it was accepted that women couldn't vote, black people had no rights, it was ok to beat your child and so on.... Better to look back at the past for what it is, a chance to grow from our mistakes. During these times, the circus, the zoo etc. wasn't about "animal rights" it was about making money. The stigma wasn't there the way it is today. Our moral compass' grow as our community grows, it was sad for some of these animals but others were loved by their trainers and treated better than some are today.
POLAR
I'm interested in the report in sloth bears and tigers. As this thread is on trainers, I propose to start a new thread. If the report is written by biologists, you can post it in the tiger extinction thread. |
| Users browsing this thread: |
| 2 Guest(s) |