I'm trying to learn how to deal with cages containing untamed animals.
What I did until now:
I designate a pit near my barracks, then assign one of the caged animals to the pit, and I watch for jobs cancelling due to the animal escaping, then I try to locate the animal in the crowd and send the militia after it.
This solution is clearly not satisfying, better not miss the job concellation announcement, and it can be dangerous. I had one of my animal handler's brain destroyed by a warthog, once.
What I'm trying to do now:
I build a room, locked with a bridge commanded by a lever next to the entrance.
I build some cages inside the room, link them with the lever.
Activating the lever should close the room and deconstruct the cages, then, I will station some miltary next to the entrance and pull the lever again to open the room and order the militery to kill the "escaped" animals.
What happens now:
1) Urist MacJobless arrives and pulls the lever.
2) The bonobo cages are deconstructed.
3) Urist MacJobless spots a deconstructed cage and enters the room to bring the cage back to the stockpile.
4) Oups, the poor dwarf will be trapped with the bonobos: quickly forbid the content of the room.
5) Urist MacJobless turns back.
6) The bridge raises just when Urist is on it and crushes him.
7) Facepalm.
Why is there such a delay between the moment the cages are deconstructed and the moment the bridge raises ?
And having to build those cages, link them and then pull levers is a bit annoying. Is there a better way to deal with caged untamed animals (I want to use them to train my soldiers, so atomsmashing is not interesting.)
By the way, Bonobos can be dangerous: one of them bit a hunting dog, shook him, and the lower body was separated from the upper body.