Under the sign of the tiger

We went backstage at a circus arena and learned how predatory cats are trained

The upcoming year 2022, according to the Eastern calendar, will be marked by the Water Tiger — a majestic and graceful feline predator. A rare species of this animal is the white Bengal tiger, which some call a mistake of nature, while others will simply admire its snow-white coat with black-brown stripes and proud blue eyes. Five of these Shere Khans serve as artists of the Belarusian State Circus: at a wave of the hand from the trainer Sergei Nesterov, they stand on their hind legs, turn around on the spot and deftly jump from pedestal to pedestal. We looked behind the curtains of the circus arena and learned how predatory cats are taught their tricks, what is included in their diet and what taboos exist in communicating with them.

Blondes with blue eyes

Sergei Nesterov’s trainees owe their spectacular appearance to a congenital mutation which leads to a white fur coloration. In the wild, it is almost impossible to meet such a tiger: adults cruelly deal with babies that do not have a protective coloration and endanger the offspring. The trainer explains that most of them are bred in captivity, “Take my team. The tigers with whom I perform came to the circus in different ways: some were born within its walls, one was brought from a nursery in Tanzania. They are all about the same age: 10-12 years old. And this is good, because otherwise, older individuals would suppress the young.” They begin to teach a tiger tricks at the age of two. Young tigers have very strong reflexes, they are disorganised, think less and do more, Sergei Nesterov details the intricacies of his skill, “Up to two years old, they are just like children: they see a toy and run after it. Older animals (by two and a half years a tiger becomes a sexually mature individual) are more disciplined. A good trainer is a zoo-psychologist above all: he must understand his pet, pay attention to what the animal is capable of and encourage discipline. Learning tricks takes place in a playful way while the learned commands are reinforced by rewarding delicacies and stroking. But here, too, everyone needs an individual approach: some like to receive meat more, while others, on the contrary, prefer treats, but are not indifferent towards affection or want to frolic in the pool. The animal is ready to go on stage when it clearly fulfils all commands and is not distracted by external stimuli (sound, light, and audience applause).”
However, over the years of working with tigers, Sergei Nesterov has also met completely unteachable specimens. Such an animal does not make contact with humans and his fellows, being closed and cowardly. Trying to teach him can only be tried up to a certain age. If it fails, the animal is sent to the zoo or nursery.

In a cage with bare hands

As an educational tool, the trainer uses a clicker — a device that emits a click. A sound signal confirms that the animal is doing everything right. Sergei explains, “During the performance I am absolutely open — I do not have any hooks, sticks or whips. The only attribute I use is a small plastic stick. It is needed in order to serve meat and regulate the distance between me and the tiger.”  Nevertheless, this does not mean that the trainer is completely devoid of a sense of self-preservation and fear. As in any other profession — be it a miner or a pilot — in his business there are also certain unwritten rules that are important to follow, “Each step must be deliberate. If you know that the animal is aggressive and not loyal to you, you should not go to it. You should always pay attention to your pet’s mood. What signs help you understand that the beast is clearly out of sorts? When it begins to beat with his tail, turns away, pulls back its ears and hisses. The bulging scruff of the neck and the narrowing pupils say that the animal is hunting. However, if an animal fidgets and makes contact, lets you touch its nose, this is an indicator of a certain trust and a sign of a good mood.”
Despite the fact that the performance with tigers has been rehearsed hundreds of times, impromptu acts during the performance are not excluded. The trainer notes, “Of course, we have a certain route or scheme that we adhere to. But if something doesn’t go according to plan, you have to improvise. For example, if the day before, the animals have quarrelled with each other, they do not want to interact with each other until their passions subside. Then I exclude a performance with them, so as not to provoke a fight or clashes. In this situation, I act as a controller doing everything possible to ensure that the performance is safe for both humans and animals.”
When asked if he has a dream performance that he always wanted to bring to life, Sergei Nesterov speculates, “Put your head in the mouth of a tiger? I think this is a relic of the past. It is much more important for me to show the gracefulness of animals, how flexible they are, how they jump, how wonderfully they do certain tricks and know how to balance. I would like people, coming to the circus, to be touched by the animals and see how beautiful they are. Therefore, I never force predators to perform tricks that are alien to them.”

Meat diet and clean cages

What happens behind the scenes of the arena when the fanfare sounds after the performance? The four-legged artists go home to the spacious open-air cage, where the five of them live. Occasionally, if one of them starts to brawl, the bully is temporarily resettled in a separate cage, says the trainer, “White tigers have a rather weak immune system, so ours drink exceptionally pure filtered water. The basis of their diet is meat: a mix of chicken, from which all skins and fat deposits are removed, as well as beef — about 50kg daily. Once a week, we arrange a detox for our pets: they drink milk with freshly squeezed carrot juice and quail eggs. This cocktail helps to cleanse the body.”
Traveling from place to place during a tour is quite easy for tigers: most of the time they sleep and wake up only to eat and drink.



STROKES TO THE PORTRAIT
►Sergei Nesterov comes from the circus dynasty: his grandfather, grandmother, dad, mom, older sister and wife worked or continue to work in the arena. His daughters Anastasia and Alisa also followed in their father’s footsteps.
►Before becoming a famous tiger trainer, he tried different genres: he was an acrobat on horseback, a balance artist on the Russian Bar and a gymnast on a trapeze.
►In 2020, he was awarded a prize at the 44th International Circus Festival in Monaco — one of the oldest circus competitions in the world.

By Yelena Begunova
Photos provided by the Belarusian State Circus