LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS - OH MY! Part Two

When I was growing up in the circus, kids and animals made the show. I made my debut at two years of age, in my father’s traveling melodrama and variety show in Ireland. But there were others who started much younger, carried into the ring or on to the stage to get their first taste of the limelight before they could walk.

Animals babies, too, made early entrances to the ring, proudly displayed under the watchful eyes of their mothers, who could anything from a performing poodle to a big cat.

In the circus, youngsters learning the ropes meant acts for the future. It meant that the circus would continue on to entertain the generations. This applied to the animals too.

As a youngster growing up in the circus, animals were my close companions. I had to respect those with claws and sharp teeth, of course, though I patted many a bear and a lion under supervision from the handler, but those I remember are the ones who were my playmates.

Imagine having a Himalayan bear outside your door. Chi was like a big baby in his distinctive black suit with the V shaped neckline. He loved to play, gobble up leftovers and lie on his back having his belly rubbed. He was a great favorite with the crowds, but like all the animals, we had to be very protective of him when strangers were around.

Because I had inherited my father’s love of animals, I often worked as a handler’s assistant I fed and groomed anything from a monkey to a rosinback (the broad backed horses used in trick riding acts).

I found rhesus monkeys (or “grass monkeys” because of the greeny colored fur) to be possibly the worst tempered and most unpredictable animal on earth. I discovered young cats aren’t aware that their strength is greater than yours (something the handlers like to encourage!) so you have be even more careful when they are feeling playful, and you must also be careful hand feeding them, because lumps of meat are sometimes hard to distinguish. I was only allowed to handle the young ones, and bottle fed many a baby lion. What a wonderful experience that is!

The horses were my special love. Fortunately for me, I had a “way” with horses, which would have marked me as a future trainer if I hadn’t also had stronger qualities that marked me as a future clown. Of course, the two can be combined, but a clown suit is easier to pack than a horse, as my father often reminded me.

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