River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-09-18
ABOUT WILD ANIMALS.
They Are Becoming Scarce and Bring
High Prices In the Markets.

High Prices In the Markets.
Speaking of what he hoped to add to
the Central Park menagerie in the near
future, Superintendent Conklin said re-
Gently that but few valuable animals
are given to geological gardens in this
| country, as they are abroad, for public
interest in zoos" here lags far behind
the popular enthusiasm taken in similar
collections throughout Europe. All
rare ANIMALS for this menagerie must
be purchased out of the $50. 600, which
must also pay the keepers, buy food for
the animals and keep the buildings in
repair and the grounds in order. The
New York menagerie is one of the four
in the world opened free to the public.
The remaining three are at Vienna,
Paris and Chicago. The one at Vienna
is supported by the Emperor and is in
the castle garden.
Mr. Conklin is very anxious to secure
a mate for the double-horned rhinoceros,
but most serious obstacle to his making
the purchase of very fine one offered
in Bremen for SIS, 900 is the present tariff
of twenty per cent on imported ami
mails. This would add another 81, 900 to
the cost, and make the immediate pur-
chase of the animal impossible. This
menagerie has no giraffes- The only
pair owned by geological garden in
this country is at Cincinnati A good
specimen of the giraffe about two years
old would cost $4,000, where ten years
ago one could have been bought for
$500 or $500. They have been growing
scarce of late. as is the case with all
North African animals. Mr.. Conklin
said that zebras which ten years ago
could be bought for $500 to $500,
now cost 81, 900. One could hardly
give away lion ten years ago, but to-
day males are scarce at $1,000 each.
The ostrich has remained unchanged in
price, as have all animals brought into
domestication. A pair is now worth
5000. The kangaroo has changed but
little in value.
The war between the English and the
Mahdi not only drove the animals fur
ther into the interior, but destroyed the
posts where those who captured the
animals brought and sold them to the
agents These agents then waited un-
til enough were captured to form cara
van, when they started for the coast of
the Red Sea, and there shipped the ami
mails &c. Marseilles and from there to
Bremen. The animals from India,
Australia, Ceylon and the East Indian
Islands are sent to dealers in London
and Liverpool.
The areas inhabited by wild animals
are growing less all over the world. and
Superintendent Conklin thought it not
at all improbable that in 200 years the
menageries would contain all the wild
animals in existence. The great aux,
bird living in Arctic regions and re-
sembliug the penguin, has become ex-
tinct within the last fifteen years. It's
eggs were nutritious and highly priced
by the sailors. on the fifty or sixty
known varieties of deer the menagerie
here owns but seven, and the superin-
tendent is very anxious to increase this
number.
Speaking of menageries in other
countries, Mr.. Conklin said that Ger
many was the only country where the
200" was run as a commercial enter
prise. The London geological garden
is the largest in the world, and
after that comes the one at Am
sterdam. The New York menagerie
ranks fourth or fifth. The ZOO
logical gardens of this country in
order of their importa nee are those at
Philadelphia, New York. Cincinnati,
st. Louis, Chicago and Washington.
The Government has recently appro-
priated $500, 900 for the purchase of
grounds and S15O,OOO for animals to
stock the menagerie in Washington.
There are no zoos" in Canada. Ger
many has about twenty, England four
and France three. The fine collection
that belonged to the King of Italy was
sold at his death and one of the ele-
plants belongs to the Central Park
menagerie. Holland has three large
menageries; Austria and Hungary have
one each; Russia has one at St Peters
burg and one at Moscow; India has one
at Calcutta and one now building at
Bombay; Australia has five; China has
one, and on Ceylon and many East
India islands there are collections of
local animals. In Switzerland bear
pits are very numerous.-N. Y. Times