Omaha daily bee., 1883-04-27

WILD BEAST HUNTING.
Carl H~agenbeck Tells How Animals
for Menagerie are Obtained.
Philadelphia Press.

Oar 6aSenbe X, OF Hamburg, was
one Of the desdhesds at Forepaugh's
show yesterday. He was dead.
headed for the excellent reason that
probably nineteen. twentieths Of the
animals now attracting popular curi.
osity In geological gardens and mensg-
cries were captured In their native
wilds by the agents of tho great Dutch
collector. MIR. Hsgenbeck claims
thirty years of life for his firm, but his
personal appearance would indicate
that the firm must have autedated the
present Mr.. Carl Hagenbeck, He Is
tall, very slender and wears q fringe Of
brown stubble around the seoeding
portions Of his face that might be
called whiskers, II longer. The flat
plateaus Of his cheeks, however, show
very sparse prolongations Of the cpl.
dermis. He speaks English with all
the tlaency Of q long.adopted citizen.
q "We have furnished nearly 3 LOCO.
600 worth of Wild animals to Ameri-
car m%enageries and geological gardens
within the past five years" he said, in
reply to o query by q Press reporter,
who found him inspecting the animals
In Forepaugh's CIRCUS. He probably
would have said more then had not
A, Forepaugh scoosted him with Lam
guage akin TO reproaoh, touching some
Of the animals recently added to the
grand aggregation. One source Of
complaint was the two baby elephants.
"You haf not fed dem right, dey
shout haf boiled %rice," Mr.. Hagen.
beck said, after having inspected the
emaoiAted youngsters, whose hairy
hides hurg In folds over their curl.
ously shaped skeletons. The eager
ness with which they ourled their
trunks up for peAnuts-whloh they got
by tho way-might have been taken
as evidence Of hunger.
With showman's reserve, Mr.. Fore.
paugh preferred to consult Mr.. Ha.
genbeok without other auditors during
the remainder OF their tour around
the cages. They broke out, however,
when the cage Of the polar bears was
reached.
"They haven't eat q mouthful since
We got 'em. They were sick then, l
tell you," Mr.. Forepaugh remarked.
"Den II Ia because you hat not fet
dem right. Dit you gif dem fish oil,
with breat soaked In III Dey woult
eat dat, and I'll engage to take 'em
back to Hamburg and sell EN- again at
douple what they cost you," Mr.. Hsg.
enbeck retorted vehemently.
Mr.. Hagenbeck was slightly warm
around the COLLAR when this tour Of In.
quiry was ended, but he addressed
himself oherfully to telling how wild
animals are obtained.
His firm, he says, fits out expedi-
tions to all the barbarous portions Of
the world. Africa IL the principal
source Of supply; four fifths of tho at
traotive ouriosities coming thence.
Each year competent persons are put
In charge of and instructed
to obtain animals at any cost. The
oomman iers are generally young men
of fondness for natural science and
| with the taste and courage
for adventure. They remain out
from line months to two
years. The caravans returning to.
ward the coast look like the Syrian or
Egyptian armies Of the times OF
Cyrus or the Ptolemies--lopg lines Of
dromedaries and other beasts of bur.
den and corrals of wild beasts of oil
kinds and descriptions, calculated &c
attract public curiosity. The persons
collecting these are beset BY
many dangers, but, unless themselves
particularly adventurous, seldom bring
back marks of warfare with the vile
beasts. The wounds In such contest,
are generally endured by the barbar
Gus people, whose most remunerativ,
resource for Subsistence Is service Will
such collectors. Twice or thrice {
year the reach Alden, on the
Red Sea, which Is the shipping depo'
from Africa. Expeditions are also
maintained almost continuously II
Asia and Australia, and oocssionall,
are sent to the Arctic regionsfor pols,
bears, musk oxen and the amphibi
that haunt the fields OF Ice
These, however, develop less Of ad
venture than those Into the unhealth,
and savage places of the dark and un
known continent. Mr.. Hagenbecl
says that his private SOCIOLOGICAL gsrdel
although kept chiefly for the exbibl
tion Of saleable curiosities, Is the com
pletest In the world. His espeois
business In America now Is to provid
the menaQefie of Barnum with its nj
fractions for this and coming years.
RUSSIA Salys IN unriyalled for ita speed