Lion taming is the taming and training of

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adu ...

s, either for protection or for use in entertainment, such as the

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

. The term often applies to the taming and display of lions and other big cats such as

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living Felidae, cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily pr ...

s, leopards, jaguars, black panthers, cheetahs, and cougars. People often use lion taming as a metaphor for any dangerous activity. Lion taming occurs in

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to z ...

s around the world to enable the keepers to carry out medical procedures and feedings. The

Captive Animals Protection Society Freedom for Animals (FFA) is the working name of the Captive Animals' Protection Society, a charity registered in England campaigning to end the display of animals in zoos, and the use of animals in entertainment, such as circuses, the exotic ...

maintains that animal welfare cannot be guaranteed in circuses.

Notable lion tamers

:''In chronological order'' * George Wombwell (1777–1850), founder of Wombwell's Traveling Menagerie, raised many animals himself, including the first lion bred in captivity in Britain. * Isaac A. Van Amburgh (1811–1865), American animal trainer who developed the first trained wild animal act in modern times. He was known for acts of daring, such as placing his head inside the jaws of a wild cat,''History Magazine,'
"Step Right Up," October/November 2001 issue
and became known as “The Lion King.”. * Thomas Macarte (c. 1839–1872), killed during a performance in 1872 *

Martini Maccomo Martini Maccomo (died 11 January 1871) was a lion tamer in Victorian Britain. He performed with William Manders' menagerie from around 1854 and remained the group's key attraction until his death. His act involved pursuing lions and tigers aroun ...

(c. 1839–1871), a lion tamer in Victorian Britain *

Carl Hagenbeck Carl Hagenbeck (10 June 1844 – 14 April 1913) was a German merchant of wild animals who supplied many European zoos, as well as P. T. Barnum. He created the modern zoo with animal enclosures without bars that were closer to their natural habi ...

(1844–1913), a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

of wild animals * Suresh Biswas (1861–1905), Indian circus performer popular in Europe in the 1880s for taming wild animals *

Claire Heliot Claire Heliot (9 February 1866, in Halle (Saale) – 9 June 1953, in Stuttgart) was a German lion tamer. She was born Klara Haumann (Huth). Her father was a government postal official. In April 1897, she caused a sensation when she first perfor ...

(1866–1953), German woman lion tamer born Klara Haumann (Huth) *

Tilly Bébé Mathilde Rupp (27 March 187911 April 1932), known by the stage name Tilly Bébé, was an Austrian circus performer. She was noted for her performances with large predators and is considered a pioneer in the performance aspects of lion taming. In ...

(1879–1932), Austrian lion and

polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear spec ...

tamer * Rose Flanders Bascom (1880–1915), first American female lion tamer * Mabel Stark (1889–1968), one of the world's first women tiger tamers *

Clyde Beatty Clyde Beatty (June 10, 1903 – July 19, 1965) was a famed animal trainer, zoo owner, and circus mogul. He joined Howe's Great London Circus in 1921 as a cage boy and spent the next four decades rising to fame as one of the most famous circ ...

(1903–1965), one of the pioneers of using a chair in training big cats * Irina Bugrimova (1911–2001), the first female lion tamer in Russia *

Gunther Gebel-Williams Gunther Gebel-Williams (September 12, 1934 – July 19, 2001) was an animal trainer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1968 to 1990. Early life Gebel was born in Schweidnitz, Lower Silesia (now Świdnica, Poland). As a ...

(1934–2001), a world-famous

animal trainer Animal training is the act of teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for purposes such as companionship, detection, protection, and entertainment. The type of training an animal receives will var ...

for the Red Unit with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. * Ángel Cristo (1943–2010), the most famous lion and tiger tamer in Spain, known for his numerous accidents under lion and tiger attacks. In 1982 he won the ''Medalla de Oro del Festival Internacional del Circo'' ('Golden Medal of the Circus International Festival').''El Periódico'' newspaper (May 4, 2010), article about Cristo's death. Resume of his life and rewards (in Spanish).
/ref> * Martin Lacey, (born 1947), animal trainer, owner of the Great British Circus, trained most of the tigers used in the

ESSO Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic ...

TV advertisements in the 1970s. * Martin Lacey Jr., (born 1977), son of

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

, an animal trainer and performer with

Circus Krone Circus Krone, based in Munich, is one of the largest circuses in Europe and one of the few in Western Europe (along with Cirque d'hiver de Paris, Cirque d'hiver d'Amiens and Cirque Royal in Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, ...

in Munich

References

{{Circus skills Animal training Circus skills Felid-human interaction Animals in entertainment Lions in popular culture