Author: Jose G. Barr
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| The Ever Regal Massai |
This past week we had the pleasure of visiting with Ringling Brothers lion trainer Alexander Lacey. We got some behind the scenes information and were able get up close and almost personal with some of his big cats (as close as we could get while keeping a nice, solid cage between us).
Alexander Lacey was born into a family of trainers. His father began training animals at their zoo and his mother worked with white tigers in her own show. He started helping his father with the animals at their zoo when he was only 7 years old. By the time he was 14 he had started working with the big cats. While he was away at boarding school he would count the days for school holidays to return home and work with the animals again. He took his own show on the road for the first time when he was 21 years old.
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| Alexander Lacey |
Today, he performs with his cats all over the US. As part of our introduction we got to meet Massai, a 700 lion. What an amazing creature. Each of the cats gets approximately 16 lbs of meat each day, including beef hearts and livers. Alexander did give us one word of warning, if Massai lifted his leg we should get out of the way quickly or get wet...if you know what I mean.
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| Massai |
After our introduction to the cats we were introduced to the King Charles Troupe (KCT). They are a group of athletes who play basketball while riding unicycles. These folks are truly amazing and talented. One of their members showed us how he could jump rope while still on his cycle, before showing us how he could do that while two others added two more ropes to the routine. Amazing!
Joseph was entranced by the entire morning. We truly enjoyed our visit with these amazing people who work hard to entertain the audience.
Until next time my friends, love your kids,
Cherish your family.
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| Joseph Mugging for the Camera with KCT |
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| Joseph With Members of KCT |
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| Joseph Passing the Ball |
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