6l6 WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY. 



with the meat, whereas the Cheetah's cage can be entered as 

 fearlessly at feeding times as on any other occasion. 



Ungulata. 



Pachydcniis. — Elephants are, as is well known, wonderfully 

 intelligent animals, but the males, when adult, are of very uncer- 

 tain temper. Bartlett, who devoted much study to these huge 

 animals on account of his fondness for them, says in his first 

 book, " Wild Animals in Captivity," that when the males are 

 about 20 years of age they require careful management. He 

 also makes the assertion that although he knew the attacks of 

 wildness of the famous African Elephant " Jumbo " could have 

 been subdued by reducing his food supply, chaining him up, and 

 flogging him, he feared disastrous results would ensue from 

 kind-hearted and over-sensitive ])eople. He goes on to say : — 



It is onl^' those who have liad experience in the management of an 

 Elephant who are aware that unless the person in charge of him is deter- 

 mined t(i be master and overpower him. that nerson \x\\\ lose control over 

 him. 



And later on, in the same book : — 



The stupid interference of people ignorant of the subject would expose 

 the people in charge to be condemned. 



Bartlett considered that, although African Elephants may 

 not be as docile as the Indian species, they would prove quite 

 as tractable and useful. " Jumbo " was exceedingly intelligent, 

 and, as above mentioned, was an African Elephant. " Alice." 

 the Elephant that followed " Jumbo," was also of this s])ecies. 

 We possess a young African animal, answering to the 

 name of " Dora," whose age I would now judge to be about 

 ten or eleven years. Six months after we received her — she was 

 wild caught in Rhodesia — we could ride and guide her about 

 the Gardens as easily as the fuU-growni and well-trained Indian 

 Elephant. She also learnt to beg within a few weeks, and is 

 quicker and keener in this department than her older and better- 

 educated companion. It is, therefore, a mystery to me why no 

 use, so far, has been made of the African Elephants in this 

 country, especially in Rhodesia. 



Hagenbeck says in his work, " Beasts and Men," when 

 giving some of his experiences with Elephants, that " clever 

 animals are liable to moods with which it is not always possible 

 to reckon." He then details an accident that he had with a 

 female Elephant, which nearly killed him out of pure " cussed- 

 ness," although females are seldom dangerous, and in this are 

 quite unlike the adult males. The latter, as I have previously 

 mentioned, often get out of hand during the " must " periods. 

 However, to emphasise the variation of temperament of indi- 

 vidual animals of a species, it is worthy of note that one of the 

 tamest, most intelligent, and most afl'ectionate Elephants ever 

 possessed by Hagenbeck was an adult male. 



