Page:Babyhood of Wild Beasts.djvu/140

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114
THE BABYHOOD OF WILD BEASTS

household pet of the animal, and often took him in his sitting-room without him ever causing any mischief. Mr. Hagenbeck visited his favourite every morning and caressed him. If he happened to pass his cage without noticing him, the tiger would attract his attention with a mewing sound to remind his friend that he had not spoken to him.

Regarding the supposed savageness of tigers and other carnivorous (flesh-eating animals) I can do no better than to quote Carl Hagenbeck in "Beasts and Men," page 104.

Writes Hagenbeck: "I fear that much of what I write will be received by many with incredulity; for in the popular estimation carnivores conjure up a vision of all that is faithless, savage and cruel. It is their nature in the wild state to hunt living prey and they have to kill in order to live. We are too prone to forget how many millions of animals are hunted and slaughtered both by land and sea to provide food for human beings; and it is as reasonable to accuse mankind of cruelty on this score, as it is to accuse the carnivores.