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ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



Pulilishecl Bi-Monthly at the Office of the Society. 

 II Wall Street. New York City. 



Yearly, by Mail. Sl.OO. 

 MAILED FREE TO MEMBERS. 



Copyright, J9I2, by the New York Zoological Society. 



Vi.i.. .\\1. No. .-.IJ 



.SKPTE.MBEH, liUJ 



THE CASE IN HAND. 



Some time the layman will understand that 

 wild animals are dangerous. Some time he may 

 learn that to safely approach an animal on 

 terms of familiarity it is necessary to have a 

 knowledge of the habits of the animal. More 

 important than all else^ some time he maj' learn 

 that when he exercises any selfish privileges, or 

 insists upon giving the public a treat by stepping 

 over the rail and putting some creature through 

 its paces, that he places the men in charge of 

 these animals in .serious danger. The visitor can 

 make even a friendly animal dangerous, and 

 thereby render tlie old adage, "familiarity 

 breeds contempt," the very personification of 

 truth. Any large animal approached on a basis 

 of familiarity is thereafter in the dangerous 

 class. 



No living man can absolutely know the curi- 

 ous freaks of temper.iment tliat are constantly 

 passing througli the brain of wild animals, and 

 after some of them have been pampered and 

 petted by would-be animal trainers, the men 

 who are compelled by their every-day tasks to 

 come in contact with their various charges are 

 liable to be sacrificed. 



Any stranger who enters a corral, steps be- 

 liind a railing or in any waj' places himself in 

 a position that will bring him close enough to 

 afford an animal the 0]5portunity to do harm, is 

 not only courting danger for himself, but is 

 paving the way for possible future injury of the 

 keeper. A man tliat takes advantage of the fact 

 that he can secure an inside privilege, may rest 

 assured tliat in "petting" large animals lie is 

 jjreparing trouble for the keepers; and inci- 

 dentally lie may inadvertently subject tlie offi- 

 cers of the Park to criticism. 



It is time for visitors to call a halt, and allow 

 the officers and keepers of the Zoological Park, 



who are compelled to handle vicious animals, 

 to work out their own salvation in their own 

 fashion. 



Kindness to animals is all right up to a cer- 

 tain point, but carrying it beyond the danger 

 line is nothing short of folh'. Lor months after 

 tlie male Indian elephant, Gunda, came to the 

 Park, I visited him daily, invariably provided 

 with sugar, some peanuts, or other bit of food 

 that he ])articularly liked. He became so well 

 .acquainted with me that by whistling in a pecu- 

 liar way he would come to me from any jjoint in 

 Ills yard or slielter. One day, after lie liad 

 sfcurcd my offering of sug;ir, he ];iunehed a 

 terrific i)low at me with his trunk with deadly 

 intent. It was a lesson that bore fruit. I never 

 tried it again. And yet to protest with a visitor 

 for leaning over a guard rail and presenting 

 iiis li;ind to the teeth of a bear is to draw down 

 upon the keeper a most indignant protest. 



My work brings me constantly in contact with 

 various animals, and, after years of observation, 

 I have reduced it all to one line of thought: 

 what are we going to do to each other? It is 

 fairly possible for the man to judge, but not so 

 with the animal. The animal is always nervous, 

 and tlie tension is quite likely to carry liim either 

 in the direction of maiming himself or the man. 

 If he is nervous to the point of fear, then the 

 sympathy is all with the animal, and the sooner 

 lie is left to his own resources the greater the 

 disjilay of liumanity. If he is bold and displays 

 no timidity, the danger then points directly to 

 tlie man in the case. 



To the keeper of a wild animal, the location 

 of the danger point may be diagnosed very ac- 

 cur.-itely by knowledge that can be gained only 

 by long experience. When the keeper is not 

 aiisorbed with the care of a third jiarty, his 

 chances are at their best. If, on the other hand, 

 tliere is a stranger present, the keejier is bur- 

 dened with the care of the stranger and himself. 

 The stranger does not care what liajipens to the 

 animal as long as he himself is safe, and the 

 risks are, therefore, doubled ; the animal is the 

 direct sufferer for the time being and the keejier 

 in the end. Gunda has been for years a center 

 of interest. Because he can throw back his lie.ad 

 at the beck and call of every man, woman and 

 child while they heave all kinds of food into hi.s 

 eager throat, and chase up and down the fence 

 in a rage when he is tormented, he has become 

 a great attraction. 



If the responsibility for accidents could be 

 placed where it belongs, there would be fewer 

 accidents. Some of the ))eople with hearts over- 

 flowing with the milk of human kindness ought 



