Monday, June 25, 2018

TIGERS 10


7 comments:

Paul Gutheil said...

Working a cat act with a club, interesting.

Chic Silber said...


I think it was a wooden handle whip

Wayne Franzen of Franzen Bros Paul

Wade G. Burck said...

No, Chic it was indeed a "club." Or more accurately a sledge hammer handle, of the modern fiberglass type. Not a reflection on the whole profession, by any means, but you have to wonder what the end result was using such a tool to train tiger's?

Wade Burck

paulniebauer said...

Wow, some pretty impressive company above! Actually, it is a wooden dowel which Wayne simply used to steady the globe while Tony hopped on. It was the only time he used the dowel. You can see two whip handles in the same hand.

It was my pleasure to work with Wayne as announcer in '78 '82-'84.

Paul Niebauer

Wade G. Burck said...

Paul, due respect, that is not a "dowel". I was referencing the two performances I saw, where a fiberglass hammer handle was carried through out most of the performance. When asked about it later by a fellow trainer attending that same day it was explained "impossible to break, no matter how hard the head" I am just saying..... GGW often used broken hockey sticks with the blade cut off(available by the dozens in every arena we played) for the same reason. Although the end was pointed for a meat reward, he eventually stopped using they as the public at times questioned. The two buggy whips you reference also have a specific purpose, different from the often criticized, but less severe lash whip. But that is a discussion for a different time. The profession, and the tool's used were and are so misunderstood by the public leaving them to make their own decisions, eventually for all intents and purposes eliminating the art and profession forever. Hundreds of video's available on the use of a spur with a horse, yet none about the true use of an elephant hook for controlling and manipulating the movement of an elephant. Other then "I don't use it, I just carry it." The same with a whip. IF you don't use it or need it, why carry it at all. Can you imagine a horse trainer saying, "I don't use these spur's, I just wear them because they look good on my boot's." Maybe why they are still permitted to train horses, but not elephants?

Wade Burck

Chic Silber said...


Wow Wade very very sorry to know that

I thought I saw the tail of a whip in

his hand & I would never have imagined

such a thing but I never knew him

paulniebauer said...

Hello Wade. Thank you for your comment. You may certainly be correct. I can only reflect about my experience up until I was with the show which as I mentioned was the end of the '84 season. Of course Wayne was killed in '97.

Regards,
Paul Niebauer