The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals | Page 7

WILD ANIMAL TEMPERAMENT AND INDIVIDUALITY
In man and in vertebrate animals generally, temperament is the
foundation of intelligence and progress. Fifty years ago Fowler and
Wells, the founders of the science of phrenology and physiognomy,
very wisely differentiated and defined four "temperaments" of mankind.
The six types now recognized by me are the _morose, lymphatic,
sanguine, nervous, hysterical_ and _combative_; and their names
adequately describe them.
This classification applies to the higher wild animals, quite as truly as
to men. By the manager of wild animals in captivity, wild-animal
temperament universally is recognized and treated as a factor of great
practical importance. Mistakes in judging the temper of dangerous
animals easily lead to tragedies and sudden death.

Fundamentally the temperament of a man or an animal is an inheritance
from ancestors near or remote. In the human species a morose or
hysterical temperament may possibly be corrected or improved, by
education and effort. With animals this is rarely possible. The morose
gorilla gives way to cheerfulness only when it is placed in ideally
pleasant and stimulating social conditions. This, however, very seldom
is possible. The nervous deer, bear or monkey is usually nervous to the
end of its days.
The morose and hysterical temperaments operate against mental
development, progress and happiness. In the human species among
individuals of equal mental calibre, the sanguine individual is due to
rise higher and go farther than his nervous or lymphatic rivals. A
characteristic temperament may embrace the majority of a whole
species, or be limited to a few individuals. Many species are
permanently characterized by the temperament common to the majority
of their individual members. Thus, among the great apes the gorilla
species is either morose or lymphatic; and it is manifested by persistent
inactivity and sullenness. This leads to loss of appetite, indigestion,
inactivity and early death. Major Penny's "John Gorilla" was a notable
exception, as will appear in
Chapter IX.
The orang-utan is sanguine, optimistic and cheerful, a good boarder,
affectionate toward his keepers, and friendly toward strangers. He eats
well, enjoys life, lives long, and is well liked by everybody.
Except when quite young, the chimpanzee is either nervous or
hysterical. After six years of age it is irritable and difficult to manage.
After seven years of age (puberty) it is rough, domineering and
dangerous. The male is given to shouting, yelling, shrieking and
roaring, and when quite angry rages like a demon. I know of no wild
animal that is more dangerous per pound than a male chimpanzee over
eight years of age. When young they do wonders in trained
performances, but when they reach maturity, grow big of arm and
shoulder, and masterfully strong, they quickly become conscious of
their strength. It is then that performing chimpanzees become unruly,
fly into sudden fits of temper, their back hair bristles up, they stamp

violently, and sometimes leap into a terrorized orchestra. Next in order,
they are retired willy-nilly from the stage, and are offered for sale to
zoological parks and gardens having facilities for confinement and
control.
The baboons are characteristically fierce and aggressive, and in a wild
state they live in troops, or even in herds of hundreds. Being armed
with powerful canine teeth and wolf-like jaws, they are formidable
antagonists, and other animals do not dare to attack them. It is because
of their natural weapons, their readiness to fight like fiends, and their
combined agility and strength that the baboons have been able to live
on the ground and survive and flourish in lands literally reeking with
lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs. The awful canine teeth of an old
male baboon are quite as dangerous as those of any leopard, and even
the leopard's onslaught is less to be feared than the wild rage of an adult
baboon. In the Transvaal and Rhodesia, it is a common occurrence for
an ambitious dog to go after a troop of baboons and never return.
Temperamentally the commoner groups of monkeys are thus
characterized:
The rhesus monkeys of India are nervous, irritable and dangerous.
The green monkeys of Africa are sanguine, but savage and treacherous.
The langur monkeys of India are sanguine and peace-loving.
The macaques of the Far East vary from the sanguine temperament to
the combative.
The gibbons vary from sanguine to combative.
The lemurs of Madagascar are sanguine, affectionate and peaceful.
Nearly all South American monkeys are sanguine, and peace-loving,
and many are affectionate.
The species of the group of Carnivora are too numerous and too

diversified to be treated with any approach to completeness. However,
to illustrate this subject the leading species will be noticed.
TEMPERAMENTS OF THE LARGE CARNIVORES
The lion is sanguine, courageous, confident, reposeful and very
reliable.
The tiger is nervous, suspicious, treacherous and uncertain.
The black and common leopards are nervous and combative,