THE AARD OR EARTH WOLF 



sleep by day and roam by night, and will romp and 

 play and seek food at any time of day. Many other 

 animals, which in their wild condition are nocturnal, 

 change this habit when captured young, and become 

 alert and active during the daytime. The Honey 

 Ratel is an example. So timid are these Aard 

 Wolves that when adults are captured it is very 

 difficult to induce them to eat. An animal dealer 

 of my acquaintance at various times purchased 

 adult Aard Wolves from Hottentots who dug them 

 out of burrows. In most instances they refused 

 all food and died in a week or two. The young 

 ones, however, quickly become reconciled to cap- 

 tivity, and after a day's fast will eat freely of mince- 

 meat, boiled eggs, or eggs and milk. I have from 

 long experience found it inadvisable to give starchy 

 foods such as bread or porridge to animals whose 

 diet in the wild condition consisted entirely of 

 flesh, which includes all forms of life other than 

 vegetable. Starchy food causes indigestion, with 

 subsequent bowel troubles, for the reason that the 

 digestive juices of strictly carnivorous animals are 

 not adapted for the digestion of starch in any form. 

 However, with care it is quite possible to accustom 

 carnivorous animals to a starchy diet, but the work 

 must be begun when they are young^ — the younger 

 the better. 



The domestic dog and cat are instances of flesh- 

 eating animals whose digestive juices have been 

 modified to digest starch. In its native condition 



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