Would you ride a zebra through the streets of Liverpool, England? At a time when animals were treated as things for our own amusement, people would take wild “beasts” and train them to do things for money. Monkeys, elephants, and even zebras could be found in the streets, earning profits for the owner.
This curious article was reprinted in Barton County Democrat newspaper in December 16, 1897. It was a reprint from the Strand Magazine.
WELL-TRAINED ZEBRA.
To Be Seen Any Day in the Streets of Liverpool, England.
Liverpool boasts one of the biggest wild beast emporiums—if not the biggest—in the world. It is the famous house of Cross. Mr. William Cross, of Liverpool, is known at the ends of the earth.
He always has some queer argosies [large merchant ship] on the sea consigned to him—perhaps a shipload of reptiles, a dozen elephants, or a few thousand parrots.
The above photograph represents some of Mr. Cross’ marvelous ability in training animals. The zebra is notoriously hard to tame, yet here is one that will actually carry a lady through the crowded streets of a great city, obedient to the slightest touch of the rein—for all the world like a pony that has been “used to children”—to quote the familiar words of an advertisement.
It must, indeed, be a novelty to take one’s rides abroad on the brilliant back of a real live zebra, and quite apart from being a capital “ad” for Mr. Cross’ wonderful establishment, this docile specimen is something of an achievement, representing as it does many weary months of patient and unremitting labor.
At first, the appearance of this lady, mounted, caused some excitement, but the novelty soon wore off. The animal will actually lie down and get up at the word of command. — Strand Magazine.
