OF WILD ANIMALS 207 



finally, in some cases to "show off" a littl^ when commanded, 

 for the benefit of visitors. ( 



All this training comes in the regular course of our "daily 

 work, and there are few animals who do not respond to it. 

 The necessity for training is most imperative with the ele- 

 phants and bears, for without it the difficulties in the manage- 

 ment of those dangerous animals is greatly intensified. 



In training an animal to do a particular act not in the 

 routine of his daily life, it is of course necessary to show him 

 clearly and pointedly what is desired. I think that in quick- 

 ness of perception, and ability to adopt a new idea, the ele- 

 phants and the great apes are tied for first place. Both are 

 remarkably quick. It seems to me that it required only half 

 a dozen lessons to teach our Indian elephant, Gunda, to 

 take a penny in his trunk, Hft the lid of a high-placed box, 

 drop in the coin, then pull a beU-cord and ring a beU. Of 

 course the reward for the first successful performances was 

 lumps of sugar. Within three days this rather interesting 

 special exhibit was working smoothly, and coining money. As 

 a means of working off on the poor animal great numbers of 

 foreign copper coins, and spurious issues of all kinds, it was 

 a great boon to the foreign population of New York. Our 

 erratic elephant Alice was quickly trained by Keeper 

 Richards to blow a mouth organ, to ring a telephone by turning 

 the cranl^and to take off the receiver and hold it up to her 

 ear for an imaginary call. 



Another keeper, with no previous experience as a trainer, 

 taught a male orang-utan called Rajah to go through a series 

 of performances that are elsewhere described. 



Bright and Dull Individuals. Every wild animal spe- 

 cies contains the same range of bright and dull individuals 

 that are found in the various races of men. Naturally the 

 animal trainer selects for training only those animals that are 

 of amiable disposition, that mentally are alert, responsive and 

 possessed of good memories. The worst mistakes they make 

 are in taking on and forcing ill-natured and irritable animals, 



