Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Uninformed people often times "misinterpret" a fighting act

Posted by Wade G. Burck

2 comments:

Wade G. Burck said...

I am posting these comments here, for anyone who may miss them on Buckles Blog. The fighting of a lion is not/was not/nor ever will be "cruel". It is the nature of the animal and relatively easy to turn a lion on, and shut it off. The gun was just a prop, as was the cracking of a whip. Again depending on what "individual" was wielding the tools. Husbandry/cage wise yes, it was deplorable how the animals were kept. The plodding with the horse whip we see today, is mentally more damaging, but because of uninformed misconceptions, it is what the public is given along with a
kiss 0 death or two at their request.

Jim A. said...

I think the ball-rolling tiger's name was Louie. It was Pat's opening trick after seating all 17 cats. At least on Polack the tigers came in to "the March of the Siamese Children" from the King and I. Later in the act the same tiger would roll the barrel (basically the same thing, like a sea lion guy using two different beach balls).

I can appreciate the justified esteem for Clyde Beatty. For some of us who grew up watching the Polack show Pat was one of my circus idols. He always did a great fighting act with some great tricks (remember Rita, the roll-over lioness in Jumbo). Toward the end of his career he kept firing the gun and snapping the whip even if it wasn't the style of the day. My favorite memory was during visiting with Pat after the act in St. Louis, probably late 70s. His bounce lion, who looked like she'd get him every show, rubbed in the cage front as Pat scratched her and proudly said, "she knows it's a show".

28 July, 2008 17:30
Anonymous Darryl said...

Petey also rolled the ball and barrel. Pat had a pair of brother lions acquired from the Omaha zoo that he named the Omaha Brothers that he used to bounce out of the cage in the 70.s as well.

28 July, 2008 19:56
Blogger Wade G. Burck said...

Jim,
Momma was the name of the bounce lioness. I think the fact that we even knew the names of Pat's cat points to tremendous respect for him. Larry Allen Dean has his barrel, I took one look at it and said, that's Pat's barrel. The lion heads on it are the signature. I may have gone back on the road, if Pat was around to ride shotgun.
Wade Burck

28 July, 2008 22:58
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Blogger Wade G. Burck said...

Darryl,
And the Omaha Brothers could "crank it up and smoke." When Pat had boot's made for me in Mexico City(I told that story in a past Pat Anthony post) I young and arrogantly asked Pat if I could "have a go at one of the Omaha Brothers, now that I have boots like yours, when we get back to the Palacio de los Deportes?" Remember how Pat's eyes used to squint and twinkle at the same time? He looked at me and with that squint/twinkle said, "Kid, you don't want to shit on your boots, until you break them in first." Oh man, was he special.
Wade Burck

28 July, 2008 23:15
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July 29, 2008 at 2:06 PM
Wade G. Burck said...

Darryl,
I wanted to share this with you and future young animal trainers. It is classic Pat Anthony, and it was just after he had a kidney removed at the start of cancer. It is from a private email, so this is an excerpt:

"I saw Pat in 76. I think his cancer had begun by then. He had a kidney removed, and said, "You oughta try it, Pal. Everyone should have a kidney out."

Wade

July 30, 2008 at 8:11 PM

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