River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-06-17
ELEPHANT BREEDING.
Births In Captivity not Uncommon In
East notwithstanding PECULIAR

til the recent interesting event in Phila-
delphia, an elephant has never been
born either in this country or In Europe;
but the assertion, of late frequently made
that female elephant has never been
known to give birth to young one in
captivity be reasonably doubted. In
travelling circtses, or in geological gar
dens of menageries, SO remarkable II
circumstance would not be likely to pass
unnoticed; but India, where in some dis
tricts, elephants are almost as plentiful
as horses, the government employing an
immense number for to transport mill
tary stores, and every raiah, as well as
many other wealthy natives, owning sew
eral, the advent of young elephant
would not be very widely heralded That
in times past when the East India COM
pany ruled the country, such births oc-
CURED, is vouched for by indisputable
authority, and the only reason given for
abandoning the breeding of captive ele-
plants is that the old style of capturing
them in their native wilds is cheaper,
quicker, and less troublesome.
Oliver Goldsmith was, admittedly, no
naturalist, and his description of the Won
ders of creation, given in his Animated
Nature" are occasionally more remark
able for brilliant fancy than for strict
fact. Thus, in describing the falls of
Niagara, he refers to the curious circum-
| stance of Indians going safely over them
in their canoes-although he afterward
corrects this impression, and, going to
the other extreme, says on the authority
of persons living near the falls, that even
| fishes that go over never escape with
| their lives.
But Goldsmith was, at least, careful
compiler, and by far the most valuable
and important part of his animated
| Nature" is made up of the opinions,
| copied boldly from their works, of emil
nent naturalists In his account of ele-
| plants he reiterates the theory, even
then largely held, that these animals
never bring forth their young in captivi-
ty, and then quotes rs follows from the
Geological Magazine printed more than
hundred years ago:
The obscurity which formerly pre-
vailed respecting the mode of reproduce
ton of the elephant he's been dissipated
in great measure, by the accurate and
assiduous observations of our country
man, Mr.. Corse And it is a remarka-
BILE instance of the difficulty of eradi-
eating n popular error or prejudice that,
Notwithstanding the circumstantial evil
| dence and authentic description given
| by this gentleman relative to the above
subject, it is still very generally believ-
ed that in a state of subject!on the ele-
plant is unalterably barren; and though
it has been reduced under the domin-
| ion Of men for ages, yet, as if 1t had n
proper sense of its degraded condition,
| it refuses to increase the pride and
power of its conquerers by propagating
race of slaves. This circumstance was
adduced by Button as one of the most
striking instances of the superiority of
| the elephant, i'll its moral condition.
over all other quadrupeds. Mr.. Corse,
who resided for more than ten years at
Tiperah, province of Bengal, where
| herds of eleghants are taken every sea-
son, and who for five years had the
companys elephant hunters entirely
under his direction, has completely dis
proved these assertions. Twice during
that period he succeeded III breeding
from elephants in a state of captivity
and servitude, and observes that this
mode of supplying the Indian commu-
nifty with so useful an animal is aban-
doned only from its being more expen-
sive than the ordinary method by the
capture of the wild herds; since the
elephants being reduced by the process
of training, require rest and hig.. feed
ing to bring them into the requisite con
dition.
But at that time it would seem that
there were herds of elephants in Tip
| erah. Years ago, however, the supply
of wild elephants was exhausted, or so
greatly reduced as to make there cap
ture by no means a cheap or easy mat
| ter, and while to-day the entire country
is abundantly stocked with trained ele-
| plants, very few are caught III India.
A large proportion come from Ceylon,
an island of almost precisely the same
area as Ireland, where once these ami
mails ahounded They are still to be
found there in tolerably large numbers,
but, as may be supposed from the linn
tied size of this country, they are gradu-
ally disappearing either through death
or capture.
If, as Mr. Corse and the London circus
seems to have demonstrated, elephants,
under proper conditions, may be
brought to breed in capacity, it may be
an open question whether, in view of
the increased difficulty Of capturing the
animals, the supply in India, may, at
| no distart date, be wholly dependent
upon their power to produce their
young elephant from It's birth undor OK
traordinarv advantageous conditions.
The young animal when born is 354
inches high. 1t soon begins to nibble
and suck the breast, pressing it with Its
trunk t. make the flow more readily
into It's mouth while sucking. 1t has
never been observed to use its prObOscis
| in any other manner during the act but
siezc the nipple with the side of its
mouth. At this period it is common
practice with the elephant attendants to
raise a small mound of earth, about SIX
or eight inches high, for the young one
to stand on and thus to save the mother
the trouble Of bending her body every
| time she gives suck; for she has never
been observed to lie down for that pur-
pose The nipples are two in number,
and are between the fore legs.
1t is remarkable that the elephant,
having only one young, has by no
means a strong affection for it. In
| sIailCtb nave vi Il lIIOlilCA IcfIN-
ing her offspring and escaping into the
woods. If wild elephant happens to
be separated from her young for only
two days, though giving suck, she never
aftorward recognizes or acknowledges
| it.
! II have been much mortified" Mr..
Corse says, 'at such unnatural conduct,
particularly when it was evident the
young elephant knew its dam, and by
its plaintive cries and submissive APP
proach solicited her assistance"
During the first year the elephant
grows eleven inches, and is nearly three
feet eleven inches high In the second
year it grows eight inches; in the third,
six; in the fourth year, five inches;
about the same in the fifth year; in the
sixth year three inches and half, and
in the seventh year two inches
and half, measuring then about six
feet four inches in height. During the
succeeding ten years the growth is COM
! paratively slow. The male is longer in
attaining his full growth than the fe-
male, seldom having acquired it before
his 26th year. These figures are arriv-
ed at by Mr.. Corse from his study of
Asiatic elephants only. The African ele-
| phant does not arrive at the colossal
| pronortiops IF his RENTAL brother But