The circus has a long history of looking high and low for the most qualifed individual for the position!!!!!

In April of 1896, The Columbus Dispatch reported that 21-year-old Charles Taylor, a lion tamer, was attacked, bitten and gored by Nero, a lion who was purchased by the Sells brothers "at an enormous price on account of his beauty, being a magnificent animal, and of a vicious nature." It was difficult to find a tamer to even enter the cage with Nero, much less train him to do any tricks. However Taylor, whose previous occupation with Sells Brothers was that of peanut vendor, volunteered to give Nero a whirl. Part of Nero's training session consisted of a series of jumps over Taylor's uplifted leg. After clearing the leg several times in succession, the lion ran towards Taylor's leg and, instead of jumping over it, sank his huge teeth into the meatiest section, causing serious injury to Taylor, who lived but joined the ranks of other lion trainers who had been "subdued" by Nero.