The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-06-24
CENTRAL PARKS ANIMALS.
WHIT 4 SPORTING NAN CONFRONTED
DURING A MORNING RIDE.
Investigations by "a sun Reporter-wud Dop..
Ferocious Cats, and Some say SkupL.
Information from Policemen and Other.

Investigations by "a sun Reporter-yIJJ Doe.
Fcrocious Cats. and Some say skunk.
Information from Policemen and Other.
CAS- | rode through Central Park at day.
light the other morning." said n sporting MN
at jerome Park on Monday. my horse was con.
frontcd by an immense skunk. While VIVA
debating what to do. the skunk turned tail AMI
ran. asked policeman whether he had ever
heard Of such thing as a skunk in the Park,
and he said Bless you. yes there's many Of
'cm in there"
Armed with a stout cane and hugo bump Of
caution. SUN reporter sought the junglos If
Central Park. The lower end of the Park wa.
thronged with children. nurses. and lido mon
and women. From the tangled lurking places
between tho paths nothing but birds issued
forth, the air waited only the odor Of flowers
and the only quadrupcds were sheep AMI
lap dogs. Beyond the Ramble. pa,rolling his
beat on the broad western drive the reporter
met Park Officer Burns.
Il have been doing duty in this Park ten
years and over" said he. and | never saw ~
heard OF skunk. That gentleman must have
seen either n rabbit or a cat. Are there any
and you'll see hundreds before you get to III tIi;
end Of my post And cals-why, there are any
number Of cats.-real wild fellows that live on
the rabbits and birds. The worst trouble wa
policemen have Ia to look after the dogs though
The Dutch market gardeners. whose gardens
adJon the Park. keep many big ugly dogs that
are allowed To run loose at night, and they get
in the Park and kill the swans and their young"
The policeman and the reporter walked thu
length of twenty blocks along the drive, but SAW
no rabbits. They did see n wild dog that lived
in the underground. and fcd at the sight OK
them.
The reporter inquired Of citizen. who said
he spent much Of his time in the Park. and from
him learned that tho upper part OF the Park
was permitted there. why" said he "thcri
are hundrcdsSlf fcrocous big cats that wera
born there and never ate from human hand or
submitted to human control There are. savage
dogs there. and there are many wild rabbits. a
few squirrels. and some. skunks. have heard
of Il woman being attacked by u skunk down
around here. but that WIS years ago.
=, To the, police station under the Mount 81.
the way he saw a quadruped Of some sort leap
from the unknown grass ana cross the walk
ahead of him.. He grasped his stick nerousiy
and ran to the thicket. The first blow of his
cane startled n big brown rabbit that Owed into
the tall grass and was gone. There was moth.
ing else in the brush.
Oniccr John Pye, who has done duty In Con.
trial Park ever since the first rocks were blasted
and the first sod was cut there. said he had only
heard Of one skunk, and that one a policeman
killed two years ago. He had heard of eats and
dogs being wild in the Park, though. and sad
they are so numerous that policemen are soinc-
times detailed especially to hunt and Kill them.
The cats. ne said, are descendants Of cats which
lived with the sluatters on the site OF the Park
in 1857. When the sIuatterS We're ordered "A
the rocks, they refused TO take their cats VITA
them. The animals grew wild and multiplied
Many generations have been bred in Tia" PARK
during the twenty years that have elapsed and
the animals are now SO numerous that the men
detailed to hunt th"m often report the capture
Of IA hundred. These cats are utterly wild. AMI
live ON birds and wild rabbits. Stray dog, nul
their way ia and become Wild They, too ara
shot.
In tho Mount st. Vincent Hotel the writer Oh.
tanned much information.
:, It's AL true about the eats and dogs" said
Mr.. HadfOrd. one Of the prODrietors Of tia
hotel, and though | can't say | ever saw a
skunk in the ParK. I've smell one"
heard this and looked up. "Skunks, said be- I;
" of course, there ara skunks here. I've seen
one myself. know a skunk when Sec one,
and recognized this fellow he was black AMI
white. and looked like little dog Why. Bart.
Lynch tone of the Central Park police. You
know was alta ,kcd by "A skunk not more than Il
year ago, and his clothes were ruined
Though the reporter made n tourofthe drives
and walks in the upper part Of the Park. be- saw
nowiid animal but an occasional rabbit. though
whoever he asked. gardeners, lahOrcrS. poll 90
or heard of skunks and wild cats and doas in
the great pleasure ground. one man nat heard
other offered 10 tax" IN" reporter across fields
AMI show him plenty oi such game. Gnt per-
mission. said he. 10 walk wherever You chOo~i
about the reservoirs al dusk. or, better yet. IN
the early morning, while the Parks desert
and the streets ana avenues near 10y are qui o..
You il see cats and skunks enough to scare yIu.
Catch 'em before They've had their hrrakG-,
but don't count on their running. for they ara
savage. It's Il shame that they have been al
lowed to run wild and multiply hero. for thov
lrrrliy women and children, AMI If IT, wasn't
for the quantity ~ birds ana rabbits they = Z,
would attack people, and inJure them perAapa
WITH the parting suggestion that the reporter
had better rilgato tor himself. and moi tri ~
o. the police. who arr IN duty bound NOT Ia Ie.
rarctliugs rs bad us They are. The gtutl %
resumed his walk, and the writer le.t the Park.