Chapter 13

So you see, if you fall into a lion's pit, the reason the lion will tear you to pieces is not because it's hungry - be assured, zoo animals are amply fed - or because it's bloodthirsty, but because you've invaded its territory.

As an aside, that is why a circus trainer must always enter the lion ring first, and in full sight of the lions. In doing so, he establishes that the ring is his territory, not theirs, a notion that he reinforces by shouting, by stomping about, by snapping his whip. The lions are impressed. Their disadvantage weighs heavily on them. Notice how they come in: mighty predators though they are, "kings of beasts," they crawl in with their tails low and they keep to the edges of the ring, which is always round so that they have nowhere to hide. They are in the presence of a strongly dominant male, a super-alpha male, and they must submit to his dominance rituals. So they open their jaws wide, they sit up, they jump through paper-covered hoops, they crawl through tubes, they walk backwards, they roll over. "He's a queer one," they think dimly. "Never seen a top lion like him. But he runs a good pride. The larder's always full and - let's be honest, mates - his antics keep us busy. Napping all the time does get a bit boring. At least we're not riding bicycles like the brown bears or catching flying plates like the chimps."

Only the trainer better make sure he always remains super alpha. He will pay dearly if he unwittingly slips to beta. Much hostile and aggressive behaviour among animals is the expression of social insecurity. The animal in front of you must know where it stands, whether above you or below you. Social rank is central to how it leads its life. Rank determines whom it can associate with and how; where and when it can eat; where it can rest; where it can drink; and so on. Until it knows its rank for certain, the animal lives a life of unbearable anarchy. It remains nervous, jumpy, dangerous. Luckily for the circus trainer, decisions about social rank among higher animals are not always based on brute force. Hediger (1950) says, "When two creatures meet, the one that is able to intimidate its opponent is recognized as socially superior, so that a social decision does not always depend on a fight; an encounter in some circumstances may be enough." Words of a wise animal man. Mr. Hediger was for many years a zoo director, first of the Basel Zoo and then of the Zurich Zoo. He was a man well versed in the ways of animals.

It's a question of brain over brawn. The nature of the circus trainer's ascendancy is psychological. Foreign surroundings, the trainer's erect posture, calm demeanour, steady gaze, fearless step forward, strange roar (for example, the snapping of a whip or the blowing of a whistle) - these are so many factors that will fill the animal's mind with doubt and fear, and make clear to it where it stands, the very thing it wants to know. Satisfied, Number Two will back down and Number One can turn to the audience and shout, "Let the show go on! And now, ladies and gentlemen, through hoops of real fire..."

  第十三章

    因此你瞧，如果你掉进了狮栏里，狮子会把你撕成碎片的原因不是因为它饿了——动物园里的动物被喂得很饱，这是肯定的——也不是因为它嗜血，而是因为你侵入了它的地盘。

    顺便插一句，这就是马戏团的驯兽师每次都必须先进狮子表演场，而且要在狮子看得很清楚的地方进去的原因。他以此表明表演场是他的地盘，而不是它们的地盘， 他通过叫喊、跺脚和甩鞭子来强调这一概念。狮子们肃然起敬。它们的劣势沉重地压在心头。注意它们是怎么进来酌：尽管它们是强壮有力的食肉动物，“百兽之 王”却低垂着尾巴爬了进来，紧贴着场边走，而表演场总是圆，因此它们无处躲藏。它们面对的是一头强壮的居统治地位的雄狮，一个雄性超级老大，而它们必须顺 从他的统治仪式。于是它们把嘴张得大大的，它们坐起来，它们从蒙着纸的圈子里跳过去，它们从管子里钻过去，它们倒着走，它们打滚。“他是个奇怪的家伙。" 它们隐约觉得。“从没见过他那样的领头狮。但是他领的是一群引人注目的狮子。食品柜总是满满的，而且——老实说，伙伴们——他的滑稽姿势让我们忙个不停。 老是打瞌睡的确有点儿烦。至少我们没像棕熊那样骑自行车，也没像黑猩猩那样接飞碟。"

    只是驯兽师最好确保自己永远都是老大。如果无意之中滑到了老二的位置，他就会付出惨重的代价。动物之间的很多不友好和好斗的行为都是在群体中缺乏安全感的 表现。你面前的动物一定要知道它的位置在哪里，是在你之上还是在你之下。动物在群体中的地位对它如何生活至关重要。地位决定了它可以与谁交往，如何交往； 它可以在什么地点和什么时候进食；它可以在什么地方休息；它可以在什么地方饮水，等等。在明确知道自己的地位之前，动物的生活一直处于无法忍受的无政府状 态。它一直紧张不安，易受惊吓，充满危险。商级动物在群体中的地位并不总是由蛮力决定的，这是马戏团驯兽师的幸运。黑迪格尔(1950)说：“当两只动物 相遇时，能将对方吓唬住的那只被认为在群体中拥有更高的地位，因此群体决定并不总是取决于一场搏斗；在某些情况下，一次冲突也许就够了。"一位明智的动物 研究者的话。黑迪格尔先生曾经做过很多年的动物园园长，先是在巴塞尔动物园，后来在慕尼黑动物园。他对动物的行为十分精通。

    这是脑力战胜体力的问题。从本质上说，马戏团驯兽师拥有的是心理上的优势。陌生的环境、驯兽师的直立姿势、平静的外表、镇定的目光、毫不畏惧地向前的步 伐、奇怪的咆哮声（例如甩鞭子的声音或是哨声）——这么多的因素让动物心里充满了怀疑和恐惧，并且让它明白自己的位置在哪里，而这正是它最想知道的。得到 满足后，老二就会向后退缩，老大就可以转身面向观众大声说：“让我们继续表演！现在，女士们，先生们，火圈上点燃的是真正的火……”