Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself.  James Anthony Froude-Oceana ch. 5.

It has consistently been shown, during this series, that there is no such thing as “just an animal.” Animals are extraordinary beings with a wide range of personalities and emotions—I once saw a dog cry…with tears…when his master died.

Animals can be joyful, mischievous, fearful to the point of trembling (when going to see the veterinarian as an example). They experience pain the same as we do. And they can have their own ideas about things.

Chimpanzees for some reason hate clowns which can be a problem in the circus. Especially since [often] the clowns perform right before or after the chimp act, meaning they have to pass each other in the hallways to and from the dressing rooms to the performance area, something the clowns always dreaded.

The clowns tried to make a wide swath between themselves and the chimps in those narrow hallways as the chimps screamed and yelled at them while the trainers tugged at their leashes.

It was during an engagement of the Pan American Circus at the Palacio De Los Deportes in Havana, that the age-old antagonism came to a head….actually to a bottom.

As the band played oriental music, the clowns, including your writer who was Kokomo the Clown, entered to do the snake dance routine.

Genesis 1:25: “And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” Chapter 2 Vs. 7: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”  This means that God FIRST created the animals, THEN created man as an afterthought. Rev. Austin Miles

When the rumpled mangy old dog first showed up at the little outdoor cafe in Havana, the first impulse was to shoo it away. That was until we looked into it’s eyes, the most tender, loving, soulful eyes any of us had ever seen.

In spite of ourselves we began slipping food down to the old dog who was not demanding or in the way. He was gentle and seemed to…well…fit in.

Within a short walk from the cafe stood the Palacio de los Deportes, (Sports Palace) situated by the sea wall, where major events took place. The Circo Pan Americano had set up there for a three week engagement.

Circus performers went to that cafe each night after the show to relax and get a bite to eat, including this writer who was the original Kokomo The Clown.

The following nights, at that exact hour, the old dog wandered in to the outdoor cafe to be with us. And we were glad to see him.

Then, while the clowns were putting on makeup preparing for the next show, the old dog wandered into the dressing room and quietly settled down in a corner. We looked at each other in astonishment.