Dolores Vallecita (May 10, 1877 – January 13, 1925), also known as Dolly Vallecita Hill, was an American

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

entertainer and circus animal trainer.

Biography

She was born on May 10, 1877, at

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was ...

, United States, although some sources also claim she was born in Spain. While raising

Shetland ponies The Shetland pony or Sheltie is a Scottish list of horse breeds, breed of pony originating in the Shetland Islands in the north of Scotland. It may stand up to at the withers. It has a heavy Coat (animal), coat and short legs, is strong for ...

for business purpose, she came into contact with circus people. Vallecita worked as an animal trainer for Frank Bostock, and began training wild animals from 1900. She gradually developed interest on wild animals, and started to train them. She made her debut at Austin & Stone's Museum, Boston, in 1905, with a pair of pumas, a

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...

and a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

. She later moved to

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, and purchased five leopards. She had a number of successful appearances at

Luna Park Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903), Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Islan ...

Scranton Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

, Pennsylvania. These performances were not without controversy, with the Massachusetts

SPCA A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which was founded ...

charging her in

Our Dumb Animals ''Our Dumb Animals'' was an American animal welfare magazine published from 1868 to 1970 by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; it was founded and edited by George T. Angell, the founder of the society. History ...

with the "effrontery to advertise herself as 'an active member of the PCA" despite owning (at least) two full grown Indian leopards. She trained her troupe of six Indian leopards to perform different tricks including rolling globes, see saw, electric wheel, forming a pyramid, and posing for pictures. During 1907–1908, she toured the world, and performed in a number of major cities including London, Berlin, and Havana. She married a New Yorker-based animal broker Arthur I. Hill. She died in Bay City, Michigan in the building now known as Old City Hall Restaurant on January 13, 1925, following a mishap that occurred when one of her leopards swiped at her, tearing out her throat. She died shortly afterwards in Mercy Hospital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vallecita, Dolores 1877 births 1925 deaths Animal trainers Deaths due to leopard attacks