¨Peary vs. Roosevelt
FIGHT TO A FINISH
Terrible Struggle between a Lion and a Polar Bear — Bruin Was Knocked Out in the Tenth Round.A FURIOUS fight to a finish between a fierce Nubian lion and a monster Polar bear took place at Mundy's animal show in Jacksonville, Fla., a few days ago, says a correspondent of the New York Journal.
The bear was badly beaten, but everybody admitted that he had made a splendid fight. Both beasts were absolutely game all the way through. The lion carried on the fight under considerable difficulties, as toward the close the keepers were shooting him and jabbing him with red hot irons.
The bear owed his defeat to the weakness in offensive tactics. In strenght, weight and endurance he was fully the equall of his opponent.
The fight naturally divided itself into rounds, although, of course, no time rule was observed. After a fierce bout the monsters would rest for a few moments and then got at it again. The fight lasted 10 rounds.
The Polar bear had angered the lion in some way, possibly by his color or his cold and reserved manner. The keepers were first aware of the trouble when the lion smashed the partition of iron bars that separated him from the bear.
The lion is a magnificent beast, 6 years old, which is tbe prime of life in his family. He weighs 500 pounds. The name Roosevelt was given him because he was so fierce and handsome. The Polar bear is an equally fine specimen of his family. He tramps around his cage all day in a restless manner, but rarely utters a sound. He weighs 560 ponnds. He is called Peary, in honor of the
famous Arctic explorer.
The Fight BeginsRoosevelt started the fighting by landing with the left paw on Bruin's right shoulder. Owing to the thick fur the blow did little damage.
Peary showed a desire to get to close quarters. Roosevelt preferred to use his agile feet, delivering quick, vicious blows and hopping aside with lightning swiftness. The first round was principally open fighting of this kind, Peary losing much fur.
In the second round Roosevelt landed heavily on Peary's nose, knocking off a considerable portion of it. Peary seemed groggy, and Roosevelt seized tbe opportunity to throw in a dozen savage blows. Peary, however, had plenty of stamina. He backed up against the bars and rose on his hind legs. When Roosevelt leaped at his throat he caught the lion a fearful blow on the side of his head, knocking him to the floor with a great thud. Both then needed a rest.
In the third round Roosevelt went at once for Peary's injured nose, The latter, however, dodged cleverily. While Roosevelt was rushing past Peary the latter squeezed him against the bars and began clawing and chewing at his relatively uncovered hind quarters. Roosevelt was unable to hit back effectively, but finally succeeded in dragging himself away, uttering fearful howls and roars as
he did so.
Roosevelt opened the fourth round in a sensational manner by leaping high into the air and landing on Peary's back. This worried the rather slow bear, and Roosevelt was left at liberty to dig into his back for some seconds. By a terrific effort Peary threw Rooselvelt sideways off his back, so that the lion landed on the floor with a great crash.
The proprietor of the show and all the keepers were now around tbe cage doing what they could to separate the fighters. The owner realized that every time the lion landed on the bear he knocked $50 worth of value off him, not to speak of the possibility tbat both would be killed.
At first the keepers tried long poles and iron rods on the raging beasts, but these were utterly disregarded. They smashed the poles like matches and knocked the iron rods back so that the men holding them were injured.
In the fifth round the lion appeared a little groggy. He panted heavily and trembled as he hit out at Peary. The latter pressed his opponent steadily. He tore large patches of skin from his body and seemed very nearly victor. Suddenly the lion roused himself and gave the bear a fearful blow on his already much damaged nose. Peary stepped back. That was the signal for a brief return to their corners.
The lion began hostilities in the sixth round by fixing his teeth in Peary's left hind leg. The bear tried to shake him off but the lion held on like death.
One of the keepers here intervened by jabbing a red hot iron against the lion's muzzle. A fearful stench of burning flesh and hair filled the air. The lion was at last compelled to let go of the bear. He jumped back snarling horribly at the human intruder. The bear seized the opportunity to throw himself on the lion and bury his teeth in the latter's back. The keeper then turned the iron on the bear and the fight was stopped for a few moments.
Roosevelt quickly recovered from the weakness he had shown and began the seventh round with a great rush. He tore Peary's coat until he was nothing but a shapeless mass of bloody, tattered fur. The unfortunate bear tried to hug the lion, thinking, no doubt, that would stop his jabs, but the lion did not care for this method of fighting. Peary rose up on his hind legs and Roosevelt dealt him a right paw smash that tore most of the fur off his chest.
The two fighters danced around and rolled over one another so rapidly that the keepers were unable for the time to make any attempt to separate them.
The ninth ronnd began with both fighters groggy but still in the ring. The lion had his right paw bitten through. His mane was nearly all torn away. His back and hind quarters were badly damaged. His left leg was nearly useless. He could not see out of his right eye.
The bear was much more badly off. There was not a space on him as large as a man's hand that was not torn and bloody. His head was in such a deplorable condition that his nose and eyes were unrecognizable. All his paws were bitten through. His back was literally ploughed by the lion's claws. Still they kept on fighting. They growled, roared, shrieked, moaned and muttered as they did so.
The bear now accomplished what he had been trying all along to do. He got the lion in his deadly embrace. He got a fair grip. But this move proved after all to be Peary's ruin.
The bear hugged the lion until the bystanders could hear the feline fighter's bones creak and groan. The lion gasped almost breathless, but still he managed to get his teeth into the under side of the bear's throat, one of the most vulnerable parts of his body.
In this deadly embrace the tenth round was fought out. The bear kept on squeezing, the lion kept on gripping with his teeth. The throat grip was more than the bear could stand. Slowly he relaxed his grip and sank on his back beaten and half dead.
The lion stood over him snarling as if he meant to eat him. At this moment a courageous keeper stepped up and smote Roosevelt between his eyes with an iron bar. He then seemed to think he had had enough and dragged himself back to his cage quietly, where he was barred in.
The circus men secured the animals with ropes, and four veterinary surgeons were set to work on their wounds. They bound them up with antiseptic dressings wherover they could and in other places used large strips of plaster.
The lion will probably recover, but the condition of the bear is desperate.
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The Spokesman-Review - Dec 22, 1901►
news.google.com/newspapers?id=wWJQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=U5sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6909,3141820&dq=polar+bear+lion&hl=en
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