Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 March 1890 — Surgical Operation Upon a Lioness. [ARTICLE]

Surgical Operation Upon a Lioness.

Yesterday morning Keeper Havens, of the Gress Zoo, performed a A r ery delicate operation. The silver lioness, “Mollie,” chewed up a piece of raAv beef which the butcher had chopped up Avith a cleaver, leaving some fragments of bone in the flesh. It is not the custom of the keeper to give the animals flesh that contains any bone at all. In this instance a sharp sliver of bone pierced the lioness’ gum on the outside of the jaAv, next to the cheek, just below the left eye. Tlie place swelled up and festered, and the animal suffered a great deal of pain. Her head Avas swollen and she Avas anable to eat. Yesterday morning Keeper Havens went to the cage, and by coaxing the lioness he got her to lie doAvn, and then he slipped ropes over her fore feet, stretching them to either side of the cage and tying them securely. “Mollie” kicked and struggled until the keeper fondled her awhile. After she was secured he entered the cage all alone, and, faking her head between his knees, he cut a small incision in the cheek, took liis lance and drew out the sliver, an inch in length. He did the Avork all alone, and no one else Avas present during the performance of the operation. Yesterday afternoon, after she had been released several hours, he visited the cage, and she met him with a gratified look, holding the wound up to the bars of the cage as if she Avas glad that he had performed the operation that relieved her, and she appeared as docile and kindly as a kitten, although she had been fierce and resentful before.—Atlanta < o nstitution.