The other day a very interesting conversation was started on the "history channel" regarding the difficulty of training Black Leopards, with some great dialog and reasoning from Richard Reynolds and Jim Clubb, both of whom I consider experts. Jim Clubb offered this: "The black ones are naturally not very well camouflaged in the wild and this is my theory for them being more dangerous. The males are even more dangerous than the females." In the photo below, we see another person, whom I consider an expert, putting that theory to the test, and taking the Black Leopards game to the Black Leopard in an attempt at validating "camouflage or short-sightedness?"
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Finally a valid "scientific study" being done in the circus.
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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7 comments:
Just saw a discussion on Buckle's blog. We worked both and always believed just the opposite! The male being easier to work; quite commical with his slow laid back attitude which we always made a big deal out of because of the leopard 'myth'. I have always felt that leopards were easier to handle and did many behaviors, mostly with the blacks (only one jump routine). Any 'injuries' were with the spotted ones and always during a heat cycle.
More aggressive towards Yaro than myself with the exception of the male who never showed aggression towards anything or anyone ever!
All were Asian.
I now have two blacks and one spotted; same thing. So you tell me!
Over the years there were two leopards we could not work at all, one black, one spotted. We got them as full grown adults and hated everyone even though they came from two dfferent 'trainers'. Was extremely difficult to find homes for them and heard they were the meanest cats they had ever encountered; they were placed in two different sanctuaries that claimed no problem.
Just goes to show you get what you pay for...
-B
From Buckles Blog:
I have always thought just the opposite although I had heard this over the years.
The spotted leopards were always the ones that were more aggressive. We worked Asian spotted leopards and black panthers. The spotted Asians were actually Amurs and rather laid back compared others that I have seen.
I was able to achieve more behaviors with the black leopards as well.
I did notice an extreme difference with the male from the five females especially during a heat cycle. They were also more aggressive with my late husband than myself anytime and figured leopards, both spotted and black to be more of a woman’s cat than for a man. The only 'injuries' that we ever had from the group of leopards was with the spotted ones and always during a heat cycle. This is just the opposite of anything I had ever heard comparing the two however the group was 2 black and 4 spotted. I currently have two black and one spotted and find it the same; the spotted being more aggressive than the blacks the two females seriously aggressive during their cycle.
B
B,
As per your request, "So you tell me!" I will first address this, in establishing the term "expert":
Jim Clubb: Both Dickie Chipperfield and Gerd Siemonite agreed with me that the black leopard was far more difficult and dangerous to train than the spotted one.
The black ones are naturally not very well camouflaged in the wild and this is my theory for them being more dangerous. The males are even more dangerous than the females.
B: We worked both and always believed just the opposite!
Jim Clubb: I have had about 25 through my hands over the years.
B, We don't know the number Dickie Chipperfield or Gerd Siemonite have dealt with, so we will just assume. Your response to the above statement of the number dealt with would be....?
The next thing I will address is the thinking of what is a "behavior":
B: The male being easier to work; quite commical with his slow laid back attitude which we always made a big deal out of because of the leopard 'myth'. I have always felt that leopards were easier to handle and did many behaviors, mostly with the blacks (only one jump routine).
Wade: Are you suggesting that "quite comical" and "only one jump routine", jumping being the easiest, most basic and elementary thing that any feline can be taught, with the exception of sitting on a seat and eating a piece of meat are behaviors???? I know what Jim, Dickie, and Gerd consider a trick/behavior and I am not sure you are thinking along the same lines?
B: "We worked both and always believed just the opposite! The male being easier to work"
B: More aggressive towards Yaro than myself with the exception of the male who never showed aggression towards anything or anyone ever!
B: Over the years there were two leopards we could not work at all, one black, one spotted. We got them as full grown adults and hated everyone even though they came from two dfferent 'trainers'. Was extremely difficult to find homes for them and heard they were the meanest cats they had ever encountered.
Wade: You have made contradictory statements, B. Are they good or bad? Are their exceptions, which can mean a great number of things? Clubb made a solid statement based on numbers. Same question as before B. How many had they/you "encountered" compared to Clubbs 25 or so?
B: Just goes to show you get what you pay for...
Jim Clubb: The two males we have at present are probably the best we’ve ever had. The best female I had was from David Tetzlaaf, an excellent and superb leopard trainer, equal to any of us.
Wade: B, I think Jim Clubb answered "Just goes to show you get what you pay for..." for all who didn't already know that answer.
Wade
B; I know Jim Clubbs leopards had their claws. Did yours? That will sometimes make them "easier to work, with a slow, laid back walk/run, which may be seen as "commical." There are many factors which make an opinion worthwhile in a discussion, many of which Mr. Burck touched on briefly.
D
With my small experience in working with over 100 leopards in the last thirty three years, i will have to bow to Mr. Clubbs statements. The two spotted I'm working with now are the best I've ever been around and they have roots in the Tetzlaff blood line.
Darryl,
More important then the bloodline, in any animal is the foundation or environment in which they start. If they are from the Tetzlaff foundation or environment, yeah that's good stuff to have.
Wade
Wade these animals where born here in South Carolina and are offspring of my breeding line that originated in Naples.
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