Ari closest to me, Ika on the outside. You can see by their feet and faces the disadvantage of a muddy dirt floor. Paul, you will note also Ika's eyes, he was not "cross-eyed as a youngster as Ari was. When he got older the eyes crossed, which is not real common, but it does occur. It may explain his actions when breeding at Columbus when he was older. Many trainers did not take into consideration the eye disadvantage when working with cross eyed/light sensitive animals. Many wonderful animals were sterotyped by that ignorance/insensitivity. You can tell it is winterquarters. I needed a hair cut didn't I. LOL
Sunday, May 4, 2008
A young Ika and Ari -- Staying after school for additional studies
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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5 comments:
Wade-That's interesting about the eyes only crossing later on. Andy Goldfarb told me that when stressed or confused all white tigers cross their eyes. I also found it interesting that Tony's white sister, Scarlett O'Hara, the one who died undergoing surgery to correct crossed eyes, was only cross eyed on one side, if that makes sense.
Paul,
Andy Goldfarb is way off base with the statement "all", but yes, in the early days stress or confusion caused some eyes to wander. I have learned it is a weakened "pathway" muscle in some. As I have stated, it is what made them difficult, as many less experienced people found. They had to be handled very gently and compassionately. The old style wham bam would cause great problems. Cross you eyes, Paul and look at a person. Add to that the lights, music, other tigers, the varying degree of hearing lose, etc. and unless you were very understanding there might be a lot of "insanity" blamed.
Wade
Wade, I find it very touching that you treated the white tigers with gentleness and compassion, out of consideration for their shortcomings in eyesight and hearing, unlike others who labeled them "insane". Would "frustrated because of difficult demands placed on them" be more accurate?
Mary Ann
Mary Ann,
Different would be accurate. And only a very few. They became so stereotyped, because their "insaneness" "inbredness" became such an excuse for human inadequacies. Or the words were parroted by some unsuspecting "friend", because it is what they had been told.
It is the same thing that is very often said about Arabian horses.
And I think it is because of reading or being told that a quick inbreeding occurred to set a trait/characteristic and then many years of line breeding and out crossing which is different. I believe environment is the greatest factor in setting an animals personality. And 90% of what he/she will be is developed in the first 2 years of their life.
Wade
Wade, how old were Ari and Ika when they came to Hawthorn from Cincinnati?
Mary Ann
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