By Valerie Kalfrin
The Tampa Tribune, Dec. 31, 2015
TAMPA — Like a roar, Alexander Lacey’s passion for lions and tigers appears the instant he speaks.
The big-cat trainer and presenter with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus notes how Max, a 750-pound lion, used to nap in the empty washing machine as a cub and how lions Goldy, Princess and Marley love to play in the water.
“These are the most perfect killing machines on Earth. With one swipe of a paw, they’re 10 times stronger than Mike Tyson. You’re literally inches away from them, and they’re kissing and rubbing up against you and showing their bellies — that’s an amazing feeling,” he says.
Lacey, 39, is making his second American appearance with the circus’ “Legends” show, coming to the Amalie Arena from Wednesday through Jan. 10. Centered around a young man’s hunt for wondrous creatures mythological and real, “Legends” features horseback riders, motorcycle daredevils, Asian elephants, a 20-acrobat troupe perched atop only a pair of bicycles, and a never-before-seen double-wide, high-flying trapeze act.
“I try to show off the animals rather than myself, because people don’t come to see me. They come to see the animals.”
A native of England, Lacey grew up with two brothers and around dozens of felines at his parents’ zoo. As the family became interested in big-cat training and husbandry, his father became a circus director and his mother a presenter of white lions.
As a youngster, Lacey admired celebrated animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams, who starred with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1968 to 1990 and died of cancer in 2001. Gebel-Williams was known for training through respect and reward, not threats or brute force.
“He’s one of my heroes,” Lacey says. “In the old days, basically, you had to walk in the ring and walk out again, and people thought you were big and brave. He was a breath of fresh air.”
Lacey only uses lions and tigers his family has raised and crafts his act around the animals’ characteristics, ages, and abilities. He doesn’t ask an 800-pound lion to jump 25 feet, for instance, but Princess, a lioness who always was feisty, now performs on command. He won’t force an animal to perform if it’s not responsive because of illness or attitude. “I’ve never felt pressure to have a dozen in the ring at every show,” he says.
The animals generally get along well because they grew up together, Lacey says, although the family separates the different breeds once the cats reach sexual maturity to avoid any mixed bloodlines.
His mother, wife, and 12-year-old daughter travel with him, along with an entourage for the animals that includes a 24-hour vet. A typical day starts at 6:30 a.m., when he waters and prepares the cats for practice. Each cat consumes about eight to 16 pounds of meat daily. Play time includes interacting with branches, balls and water basins. Right before bedtime, each cat gets a serving of warm milk and liver oil, which keeps their coats healthy and shiny. “We don’t declaw them, and we don’t take their teeth out. I have lots of scratches, mostly on my hands. But I’ve never had any dangerous situations because we don’t ask them to do anything they don’t want to do,” he says. “They’ve never learned a bad habit.”
Tickets for “Legends” range from $16 to $75, plus fees, for spectators ages two and older. Admission includes entry to the All-Access Pre-Show one hour ahead of the main event to visit with performers, learn juggling and balancing skills, get autographs, take photos, and enter to win a one-of-a-kind painting by a pachyderm.
Ticketholders also can visit the Animal Open House 90 minutes before each show except the 7:30 p.m. show on Jan. 9 to meet Lacey and other trainers and see their animals up close.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.Ticketmaster.com, www.ringling.com/shows/legends/ or call (800) 745-3000.
From http://www.tbo.com/events-tampa-bay/circus-arriving-in-tampa-with-big-cats-motorcycle-daredevils-and-more-20151231/