42 A HAND-BOOK OF THE MANAGEMENT OF ANIMALS 



pounds may be given. At this rate the feeding of each lion costs 

 from Us. 10-8 to Rs. 12 per mensem. For young lions half the 

 quantity is enough, but the amount should be increased proportionately 

 with the creature's growth. When the necessity for a change of diet 

 is indicated by the aversion of an animal for its usual food, a live kid 

 or fowl or mutton should be substituted for its ordinary diet. Young 

 animals should have live food given them oftener than the older 

 animals. The appetite varies in these as in other creatures. Almost 

 every day a small quantity of fresh doob grass should be given ; when 

 chewed and swallowed this acts as an emetic. 



Breeding. — Lions have not hitherto bred in this garden, but every 

 facility is afforded and hopes of eventual success are entertained. 



The transport of such a valuable and intractable animal 

 requires careful preparations. A light and strong cage is the prin- 

 cipal requisite ; one 7 feet long, 5 feet broad, and 4 feet 6 inches 

 high should be provided for a full-grown lion, or a pair of young 

 or adolescent animals. It should be made of three quarters of an inch 

 wrought-iron rods placed at an interval of three inches, and let into a 

 frame of teak wood scantlings. Inside the rods, the two sides and the 

 back end of the cage should be lined with half-inch thick teak or jarul 

 planks, closely joined together, as otherwise the animal will be in a 

 constant state of unrest from various causes of excitement at the 

 different stages of transit ; a removable shutter should also be provided 

 for the front of the cage for use when it is very cold or in bad 

 weather. An iron vessel, say 12 inches long by 9 inches by 4 for 

 drinking-water should be introduced through a space left below the 

 bars in front of the cage, and clean water in sufficient quantity given 

 several times during the day, especially after feeding. If lions are 

 sent by sea, the best arrangement for feeding them during the voyage 

 is to send a number of sheep, at the rate of one sheep for two days 

 for each animal, allowing for fasting every seventh day. A sheep 

 weighing from 201bs. to 301bs. can probably be had for Rs. 3-8 to 

 Bs. 4 in the local market. 



The transfer of a lion from its den to a travelling cage and 

 vice versd is a difficult part of the transport operations. The usual 

 method is to keep the animal without food for twenty-four hours and 

 then decoy it into the travelling cage, which is placed "with food in it 

 against the door at the back of the inner den. This plan, however, 

 has been found to fail as often as it succeeds. The animal sometimes 

 refuses to move from the corner of the den to which it betakes itself : 

 or it may show great restlessness for food and walk up and down in 

 front of the door, but still decline to enter the cage. If there is no 

 particular reason for haste, the best course is to watch and wait, until 

 at night the animal advances cautiously to steal away the food and can 

 then be encaged. But in urgent cases, where the animal exhibits an 

 unwillingness to move, or to be decoyed, summary means have to be 

 adopted to evict it by fear. It can be frightened by crackers, or a 

 cold water douche, while the introduction of planks inside the den will 

 prevent it from lurking in the corners. On one occasion an ingenious 

 and easy plan was found to succeed with a most refractory animal ; 

 a broad plank with hideous and nondescript figures painted upon it with 



