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ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



Mammal 



W. T. HORNADAY 



Aquarium 



C. H. TOWNSEND. 



departments: 



Reptile 

 Raymond L. Ditmars. 



Bird 

 C. William Beebe. 



Raymond C. Osburn. 



Lee S. Crandall. 



Published Bi-Monthly at the Office of the Society. 

 1 1 Wall Street, New York City. 



Yearly, by Mail. S1.00. 



MAILED FREE TO MEMBERS. 



Copyright, 1912, by the New York Zoological Society. 



Each author is responsible for the scientific accuracy 

 and the proof reading of his contribution. 



Elwin R. Sanhorn, Editor. 



Vol.. XVI. No. S3 



SEPTEMBER, 1913 



THE CASE IN HAM). 



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 may learn 

 that when lie exercises any selfish privileges, or 

 insists upon giving the public a treat by stepping 

 over the rail anil 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 the 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 temperament that are constantly 

 passing through 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 everv-day tasks to 

 come in contact with their various charges are 

 liable to be sacrificed. 



Any stranger who enters a corral, steps be- 

 hind a railing or in any way places himself in 

 a position that will bring him close enough to 

 afford an animal the opportunity to do harm, is 

 not only courting danger for himself, but is 

 paving the way for possible future injury of the 

 keeper. A man that takes advantage of the fact 

 that he can secure an inside privilege, may rest 

 assured that in "petting" large animals he is 

 preparing trouble for the keepers; and inci- 

 dentally he may inadvertently subject the 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 folly. For months after 

 the 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 particularly liked. He became so well 

 acquainted with me that by whistling in a pecu- 

 liar way he would come to me from any point in 

 his yard or shelter. One day, after he had 

 secured my offering of sugar, he launched a 

 terrific blow at me with his trunk with deadly 

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

 tried it again. And } r et to protest with a visitor 

 for leaning over a guard rail and presenting 

 his hand 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 the tension is quite likely to carry him 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 

 he is left to his own resources the greater the 

 display of humanity. If he is bold and displays 

 no timidity, the danger then points directly to 

 the man ill the case. 



To the keeper of a wild animal, the location 

 of the danger point may be diagnosed very ac- 

 curately by knowledge that can be gained only 

 by long experience. When the keeper is not 

 absorbed with the care of a third party, bis 

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

 there is a stranger present, the keeper is bur- 

 dened with the care of the stranger and himself. 

 The stranger does not care what happens 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 keeper 

 in the end. Gunda has been for years a center 

 of interest. Because he can throw back his head 

 at the beck and call of every man. woman and 

 child while they heave all kinds of food into his 

 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 people with hearts over- 

 flowing with the milk of human kindness ought 



