Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-03-24
a BABY ELEPHANT.
AN EVENT OF INTEREST TO SCIENCE
BIRTH OF A FEMALE ELEPHANT.
philadelphia Times. March III

| Twentv.third street and Bridge ave-
nue., at on early hour yesterday morn
ing This was nothing more nor less
than the birth Of young elephant.
The Importance Of the affair to the
world of science will be realized when
1t IS stated that it is the first instance
of-tbe kind that has ever taken place.
so far as is known, among these ami
mails in state Of captivity. Hereto
fore all ideas and theories, written or
unwritten, on the subject of propaga-
tion among this species of quadruped,
duration of the period of CESSATION and
so forth have been more or less specu-
lative. The one fact that seemed well
established was that the female ele-
phant would not bear young in her
captive state, although from time TO
time, both in Europe and America, an
nouncements have gone forth from
| showmen and others to the effect that
they had reason to believe this theory
not well founded and expected to be
able to disprove it. Nothing ever
came of this, however, and the fact re-
mained that the birth of baby ele-
phant was thing unknown to natural
science outside the animals native
wilds, and the theory above mentioned
continued in full force The event of
yesterday morning upsets everything
in this direction, however, and affords
occasion for scientists to shift their
position and look at the question from
a new standpoint.
THE BABY's APPEARANCE
A queer-looking little black animal,
not much larger than newfoundland
dog, with very diminutiye specimen
OF trunk, and with a disposition TO
run at things blindly like young
colt, fairly describes the appearance of
the stranger as it waddled about in
the large brick stable known as the
elephant house, yesterday morning.
The mother, a large Asiatic elephant,
known by the attractive name of Hebe
stood in the centre of the large stable
room, with both hind legs chained to
two posts. This precaution was abso-
lutely necessary, as will be shown.
At the upper end of the stable room.
about dozen yards from Hebe, stood
six other large elephants with their
heads turned toward her, likewise
chained to posts 1t was most ex-
citing scene among these elephants
when the birth took place. For
months past Hebe, on account of her
condition, had been chained on the
same spot where she stood yesterday
. a.
room being always in care of watch
man or keeper at night. This watch
man was at his post yesterday morn
ing at halfpast two O'Clock, when the
event by which Hebe distinguished
herself occurred.
SCENE AMONG THE OTHER ELEPHANTS.
The scene that followed he describes
as lively. Instantly all the other ele-
plants set up the most tremendous
believing ever heard of and threw
their trunks about and wheeled around
and stood on their hind legs and ca
vorted and danced in the highest glee,
as though they had goRe mad. The
excitement communicated itself to
Hebe aud she became almost frantic.
With terrific plunge she broke the
chains and ropes which held her, and,
grasping up the little baby elephant
with her trunk, threw it about twenty
yards across the room, letting it fall
near large, hot stove-where fire
is always kept burning to keep the
place heated-then followed with
mad rush, believing and lashing her
trunk as though she would carry every
thing before her The keeper fled for
his life, and not n moment to soon
Around this stove was stout railing
formed by heavy timber and intended
as a protection for the stove in case
any of the elephants ever got loose
and took it into their heads to be vic
ious. Against this railing Hebe
charged with such effect that she re-
duced il to kindling wood in short
order Not stopping here she struck
the stove and knocked it into the posi-
tion of the leaning tower of Pisa in an
instant and badly smashed the pipe.
The keeper meantime had given the
alarm, and three or four others coming
to his assistance the animal was, after
some trouble, secured and chained 70
the post again Meantime the other
elephants kept up their believing and
the lashing OF their trunks as though
they could not make noise enough and
never would get through rejoicing.
The baby elephant, which at once
showed a disposition to make friends
with anybody or everybody, was
piloted back to its mother, where the
keepers and others who had now been
attracted by the general commotion,
became at once interested in nursing
it. 1t would run about with its mouth
open very much like young colt.
The old elephant would net stand still
long enough to sucke it, being con-
stantly swaying and swinging about,
so the keep RS hit on the happy ex-
pedient of procuring funnel and n
rubber tube about yard in length.
Inserting one end Of the tube in the
baby's mouth they fed it by milking
into the funnel at the other end, the
little newcomer taking its snstenance
with relish until it declared il could
take no more by promptly jerking it's
mouth away. During all the day it
was necessary for two or three keep
ers to be present to attend to II, their
fear being that it might get entangled
in the chains which held its mother TO
the posts and get crushed. The
mother herself is a fine specimen of
the Asiatic elephant, being twenty
three years old and very large. The
sire is Mandrie, an elephant of about
the same size as the mother and two
years older. The baby il thlrty-hve
inches high and weighs 2l4 pounds.
The period of CESSATION is put by sci
entfc authorities ut twenty months
and half There will probably be q