SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 67 



been attained. This result was reached in the regular course of 

 development, and without any special effort on our part. An- 

 other year of increase equal to that of 1912, (226,550) will 

 bring us very near to the two million mark. In view of our 

 distance from the City's center of population, and the special 

 effort that is required to reach the Park, we may accept our 

 great and growing attendance as the best possible evidence of 

 the keen interest of the masses in the study of living animals. 



A full statement of our attendance is as follows : 



In 1912. In 1911 



January, 38,271 40,012 



February, 75,752 70,797 



March, 118,911 77,150 



April, 136,689 119,867 



May, 183,216 234,187 



June, 266,294 151,681 



July, 193,816 170,978 



August, 228,964 146,519 



September, 162,535 219,046 



October, 155,105 113,005 



November, 77,354 74,418 



December, 71 ,548 64,250 



Totals 1,708,455 1,481,905 



GENERAL WELFARE. 



On the whole, the year 1912 may be distinguished as one 

 singularly free from accidents to employees, accidents to visitors 

 and animal losses of importance. Of our 1,708,455 visitors not 

 one received an injury of any kind in the Park. The number 

 of deaths of animals large enough to be worthy of mention is 

 the smallest in the history of the Park, and may well render us 

 apprehensive that at some time in the future the age limit will 

 even up by bringing a great many losses into one year. The 

 only deaths worthy of mention were a zebra, a mountain goat, 

 a markhor, a leucoryx antelope and our male European bison. 

 The bison represented the most serious loss; but the leucoryx 

 antelope robs us of a species that it will be difficult to replace, 

 even when the embargo is lifted. 



The only serious accident in the force was the attack of the 

 adult male Indian elephant, "Gunda," on his keeper, Walter 

 Thuman. For a considerable period that animal has been 



