The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1885-11-06
Curing Wild Beasts.

Curing W1I0
Visitors to the Geological Garden
diving the last week have been struck
with the general air of debility among
most of the animals. Nearly all of
them either moved about listlessly or
else moped in corners and refused to
move at all. The chimpanzes kept
her blanket tightly drawn around her
shoulders all through the week, and no
dainty could tempt her to leave her
favorite corner. Even the monkeys
were less clamorous for favors andthe
toothsome peanut palled on their usu-
ally Unsuitable appetite. The larger
animals, and especially the ~carnivora;,
suffered even more than the little ami
mails. The lions andleopards stopped
their ceaseless promenade and lay all
day long with theirnoses between their
paws watching events through their
half-open eyelids. superintendent
Brown explained this state of apathy
among the animals.
''There has been more sickness
among the animals during the past
week than at any time in the history
of the garden" he said. Contra
ry to the rule, there was very
little suffering among them during the
heated spell, but as soon as the break
up came, and the mercury took such
terrible tumble, nearly every animal
felt the effect of the change, and almost
q majority of them were taken sick.
The camels were the greatest sufferers.
Every onein thegarden was Frustrated
with dyspepsia and a general derange-
ment of the alimentary canal. One of
them is still very i'll, and it is not ex-
pected that he will recover. Three or
four of the carnivora are sick and one
ofthepumas were very i'll with cholera
morbus. He refused to take any
nourishment, and the only thing he
could be induced to take was an oc-
casional swallow of water. We tried
for two days to give him a dose of bis
mutn and opium, but we hadto giveit
up. The medicines were diluted with
water until it was impossible for the
human palate to detect their presence,
but the puma discovered it at the first
sniff and refused to touch it. He
didn't eat a morsel for five days, but
he is coming around all right now.
At last he consented to eat a nicely
broiled spring chicken, and | think he
will be himself again in a few. days.
Another puma was greatly Frustrated,
and | am afraid he is too old to rally.
Benefits wallaby, a variety of the
kangaroo, caught a severe cold at the
time of the sudden change and died,
after a brief illness, of pneumonia.
One of the sea lions was Frustrated
by the heat just before the cold wave
came, and probably died of congest-
ion of the brain. Imade a post-mor-
tenn examination of his body, and
could find no other cause of death.
The chimpanzee was also severely af-
fected by the change. She caught a
cold in her head and refused to eat
anything except al occasional piece of
banana or orange. We have had her
for three years, and this is only the
second time that she has been i'll.
During these spells of sickness wetreat
her the same as any human invalid.
We never try to force her to eat, but
simply wait until nature asserts it
self, and then tempt her returning a5-
petite with any little deiicacy she
might crave. At one time she went
except a few pieces of fruit, but when
her appetite returned she ate like q
pig. Many of the small animals are
seriously indisposed, but most ofthem
are simply suffering with disordered
stomachs and loss of appetite.
"In caring for sick animals we gener-
ally rely on the ordinary veterinary
treatment. We use very little medi-
cine, beyond an occasional tonic, as
tringent, or laxative. In many cases
the administering of medicines
works more harm than good. !
find our best reliance to bein careful
watching and dieting. Aside from the
harm the medicines might do q wild
animal there are osher considerations
against administering them that are
much more important. In the first
place it is hard to tell what is the mat
ter with a wild animal when it is simply
off it's feed. 1t is not practicable to
feel it's pulse, listen to the beating oil
his heart, and do various other things
usual in diagnosing a case in a human
being.
cit is generally a wild guess in de-
termining what ails a wild beast,
When you have decided what ails it,
however, the next question is, What
shall / give it2, Drugs have a different
effect on different animals. Al dose
that would kill one animal will have
no effect on another. But, event you
know what to give it, the next and
most serious question arises, How
shall / administer the medicine?'
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