Note 2 common things is a Court act. An assistant standing behind, and a fork in the front. I heard for the first time yesterday that the reason for a second person in the cage is so that they can move the props. Although Court was on Ringling for many years, it was not a "style" that caught on here in America.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Alfred Court--Wild animal training in day's gone by.
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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15 comments:
Okay Wade, I know nothing about training cats but why haven't I ever seen this trick with this many cats here in the states?
Jody,
Many reasons. It is a basic behavior called a pose or picture trick, and Americans tend to prefer faster moving action behaviors. In the old days you could stuff many animals in a cage and, they can't run away with the additional person behind preventing it. I have posted the same basic behavior in other acts in the past. In "horsey" terms, I would equate this behavior to a trot, after the walk is going well. Click it to full size, and you will also note the fence's between the tigers and leopards. I am assuming the Leopards were sent up first, the fence was swung up, and then the tigers were put in place, followed by the lions driven into the middle. You may do 4 or 5 action behaviors in the time it took this behavior to be completed, and then the time to send them to their seats. Again in "horsey" terms western pleasure or reining? What generates hoots, hollers, and whistles?
Wade
Thanks for relating it to the horses. And when you say what generates the hoots n hollers, I say most novices yell when they see a horse run fast.....I must not be the norm because I'd rather watch what it took to get that pose even if it took 20 minutes. I do understand you've got to go with what the people want to see.
I did click it to full size and even with the divider fence I think it's a really neat pose.
Jody,
What generates the most noise, a western pleasure horse changing leads, or a reining horse doing a flying change. A western pleasure horse backing up, or a reining horse doing a roll back? I don't think they are excited because they are novices. I think they are excited because they know what they just saw. And I love a great Western Pleasure horse, but a great Reining horse is a different deal.
Wade
Jody,
I did a "pyramid/picture" behavior with 17 tigers when we could haul them, and now do one with 14 because that is all we can legally haul. My son does one with 7 animals because that is what he has etc. etc.
Wade
Many months ago, on Mr Woodcock's blog, I mentioned the use of the fork and that, in this country, I had only ever seen it used by Tommy Chipperfield on Ashton's Circus. My observations never saw the light of day!
PS: Wade - you are often seeking to define what is a "trick". To me, having the tigers and leopards perform this pose WITHOUT those little fence barriers would be a trick. Insert the barriers and all you've got is a pose. Just my opinion.
Steve,
I don't consider moving an animal sitting one one seat to sit on another a trick regardless of what does it. I have never cared for mixed act's as they don't do much. Rolling over 6 lions or 6 tigers is one thing, rolling over 2 bears, 2 leapards, a lion, and a tigers is impossible given the size difference of the animals. They are normally started with young animals, which is great, but as one dies, it has to be replaced with an older animal, and you lose the original concept of "mixed". What originally started as lion, tiger, lion, tiger Now becomes lion, lion, tiger, lion, tiger, tiger, tiger, lion. In day's of old there were no regulations and many animals and they were ground up, and easily replaced.
Wade
Steve,
If you recall that Buckle post, the fork you are looking at is exactly what a French trainer had made when he came to the states in 1977. The two American trainers that responded, had never seen a fork, except stood or laying in a European/British cage, and didn't know the use of it. If you run across that post, let me know and I will copy it here. It is an animal training mystery, and you will note, nobody responded with what it's use was, yet all arenas have it inside.
Wade
Steve,
In this picture I am assuming the leopards sat on the two tall seats, behind, and the tigers sat on the two lower ones by the door, and the lions sat on seats around the front, and were chased around the right side of the pedestals, and blocked by the assistant so that the would not run to the beast wagons behind. They can't flee left because the assistant will stop them, and they can't go back to their seats as the trainer will block them. The first animals off were probably the tigers, followed by the lions, then the leopards.
Wade
The fork is used for when an animal would attack.It is supposed
to keep the animal off by pushing it to the troat/neck,hence the form.It is not always placed on the floor ,but mostly against the cagesides on the opposite side of the cage entrance.In Europe ,there always is an assistant at the cage entrance,so when things get bad at the far side of the cage entrance ,the fork is in reach.
Hello,
I appreciate the information. I have always heard it was "supposed" to do a lot of things. I would like to welcome you, but I have to ask that you sign your name, or email me at wburck3@aol.com and introduce yourself. Everybody has a name here and I hope you understand.
Wade
Sorry for the anonymous everyone.Send Wade a short introduction of myself by email.Layman on the computer and the choice name/url made me confused.
Rob - the position of the fork in this photo would make it useless for the purpose that you describe.
Steve ,I see your point.But that was the reason we used it for.Then I remembered it also must be in a book and after surching I find it in the book "Im banne grosser Katzen"from W.R Spira.It's a Swiss book about wild animal training.It's under the header:workingtools of the trainer.I'll have to translate it from German into English(I am Dutch by the way,so don't judge me on my spelling etc).It says.If an animal attacks in full anger,the trainer can get help from the fork.He places it on the troat of the animal or sticks it in the open mouth.With help from the fork,he can hold the attacker of him.The fork is therefore some kind of emergencybrake.(page 102)
Hardly to notice is the fork lying on THE FLOOR by the entrance.(page 100).It's a book telling all the inns and outs of wild animal training by famous European trainers.Must be out of the seventies.
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