The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals: A Book of Personal ObservationsHornaday, William T. (William Temple)
Science
The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals: A Book of Personal Observations
Hornaday, William T. (William Temple)
Animal behavior
It was quickly recognized that our Rajah was a particularly good
subject, and with him the keepers went farther than with the four
others. From the first moment, the training operations were to him
both interesting and agreeable. The animal enjoyed the work, and
he entered into it so heartily that in two weeks he was ready to
dine in public, somewhat after the manner of human beings.
A platform eight feet in height was erected in front of the
Reptile House, and upon it were placed a table, a high chair such
as small children use, and various dishes. To the platform a step-
ladder led upward from the ground. Every day at four o'clock lusty
Rajah was carried to the exhibition space, and set free upon the
ground. Forthwith the keepers proceeded to dress him in trousers,
vest, coat and cap. The moment the last button had been fastened
and the cap placed upon his head, he would promptly walk to the
ladder, climb up to the platform, and in the most business-like
way imaginable, seat himself in his chair at the table, all ready
to dine.
He used a napkin, ate his soup with a spoon, speared and conveyed
his sliced bananas with his fork, poured milk from a teapot into
his teacup, and drank from his cup with great enjoyment and
decorum. When he took a drink (of tea) from a suspicious-looking
black bottle, the audience always laughed. When he elevated the
empty bottle to one eye and looked far into it, they roared; and
when he finally took a toothpick and gravely placed it in his
mouth, his auditors were delighted. Several times during the
progress of each meal, Rajah would pause and benignly gaze down
upon the crowd, like a self-satisfied judge on his bench.
Not once did Rajah spoil this exhibition, which was continued
throughout an entire summer, nor commit any overt act of
impatience, indifference or meanness. The flighty, nervous temper
of the chimpanzee was delightfully absent. The most remarkable
feature of it all was his very evident enjoyment of his part of
the performance, and his sense of responsibility to us and to his
audiences.
Rajah easily and quickly learned to ride a tricycle, and guide it
himself. But for his untimely death, through a remarkable invasion
of a microscopic parasite (_Balentidium coli_) imported from
the Galapagos Islands by elephant tortoises, his mind would have
been developed much farther. Since his death, in 1902, we have had
other orang-utans that were successfully taught to dine, but none
of them entered into the business with the same hearty zest which
characterized Rajah, and made his performances so interesting.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account