| In 1840, a family of jugglers and stiltwalkers became a circus. In 1943, in wartime England, Count Frederick Rosaire, a champion boxer who took on all comers, and Countess Fannie Rosaire, a singer from a family of entertainers, had a circus with cyclists, a lion and a pony and eight performing sons and daughters.
Youngest son Derrick married the sister of a lion tamer and, in 1961, he and Betty came to America with their five children and Tony the Wonder Horse. When they appeared with the Hamid Morton Circus and on Ed Sullivan's TV show, Tony would become a "rocking horse" or a bull in a bullfight, nodding "yes" when asked if he was clever and responding to Derrick's "I love you" with a kiss.
It was while the Rosaires were caretakers for Gentle Ben and Clarence, the cross-eyed lion, that daughter Kay decided she wanted to be where the wild things are. Inspired by tales of her lion-tamer uncle and Evalyn Curry, who worked a cage act, Kay, at 23, appeared with her six African lions in the ring.
The Rosaires are all animal people: sister Elliana is an equestrienne, Derrick Jr. wrestles bears and, early on, Pamela and Linda took over their mother's dog act. Now, Pam and her husband, Roger Zoppe, travel the world with their Chimpanzee Ensemble.
Kay Rosaire is the only woman today who appears in the ring with animals she has trained. For her, leopards and lions, cheetahs and Royal Bengal tigers stand on their hind legs, balance on mirrored globes and leap through flaming rings of fire.
And in the family tradition, her son Clayton is now in the ring with the wild things.
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