Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-08-21
FEROCIOUS ANIMALS.
CREATURES THAT THIRST FOR
THE BLOOD OF MAN.
The Great Hippopotamus OF the Nile
The Man Eating Tiger-The
Shiny Crocodile and the
Terrible Shark.

and their defensive and offensive ar
maments, there are comparatively few
that are a menace to human life says
the San Francisco Chronicle, yet, in
various parts of the world there are
found animals that seem to regard men
as their natural prey. This is nowhere
better illustrated than on the Upper
Nile.
The White Nile is famous for its
man-killing hippopotami. On one oc-
casion some villagers were waiting tho
return of their Sheik. who had been
on visit of ceremony across the river.
when to their horror large hippo
potamus appeared, and, rushing upon
the boat, seized it and the Sheik.
crushing both. On another occasion
man entered the water to battle.
when hippopotamus, which had been
in concealment near by, rushed at
him. biting him in two as a shark
might have done. The action of the
animal is simply wild rage, which
causes them to attack anything with
out regard to the size. A well-known
official reported that all his boats had
been damaged by these animals during
three years experience on the Nile.
The crocodiles Of the Nile country
and the Gauges are essentially man
eaters attacking human beings when
ever the occasion offers, and this is
more or less true of these animals
wherever found. The gavial of the
Ganges is singular creature, often
attaining length OF twenty feet. but
is not the enemy of man as is general
~ supposed. The crocodile Of the Nile
attains huge proportions, and, like the
man-eating shark, is remarkable for
its bulk, instances being known where
human being has been devoured al
most whole.
Such q case was recorded by Mr..
Bennett in his work on Ceylon. This
crocodile was captured and found to
measure Ia feet, about the size OF the
largest alligators found in Florida. In
Ceylon these reptiles attain a length
of % feet and are formidable Great
ures, but even larger specimens have
been found in the Nile.
The man-eater most dreaded is the
tiger, many of these animals develop
ing taste for human prey and rely
ing entirely upon it. Such tiger has
been known to kill fifty or sixty ma
tives before it was destroyed. One
man. heater showed remarkable skill in
avoiding az enemy. Its method was
TO approach some village. seize an I'M
protected man or woman and dart into
the bush before il could be seen by
others, only the fact that the victim
was missed telling the story until the
evidences were found long after. The
tiger would then leave this locality and
go TO some village perhaps ten miles
distant; thus it kept large area in n
state of terror and avoided the hunters
who we're continually on the watch for
it, Finally an organized hunt started
out under the leadership of we'll
known sportsman and hunter, and the
man-eater was brought low.
India probably leads in the unenvi-
able possession OF man killers and
man eaters. every year hardly less
than 1900 human beings being killed
by wild animals. In the year 1875
tigers killed nearly 1000 persons, in
many instances devouring them; ele-
plants killed 61; TO the leopard was
laid lS7 persons eaten; bears killed "a.
hyenas 6S and wolves 1,06l. The
number Of animals killed in this same
year was: Tigers II, 423, leopards
16, 557, wolves 9. 407.
OF all the animals which occasional
" attack man the shark. perhaps, in
spires the greatest horror. and, hap
PLY. while shark stories are common
shark tragedies are rare. The car
charodon carcharias, the real man-eater
or white shark, is only occasionally
locality where sharks were very COM
mon / never knew Of fatality.
Nothing was thought of bathing where
sharks from ten TO thirteen feet long had
been seen a short time before. ! have
caught dozens of sharks simply for the
sport from ten-foot hammer head OF
the Pacific TO the enormous so-called
lltll-tdlti VI TIC 'ult vi 4htAlto,
ranges from ten to fourteen feet and
is very bulky. but never saw one
show the least ugliness, except III n
case where shark seized the keel of
the boat in its jaws, and even this may
have been an accident Yet sharks
are in some localities TO be avoided
and the dog fish of our Northern
waters are the bloodhounds OF the SEE
in their ferocity.
| was once chased from the water
by small shark or 5 feet long. |
was 'Nading along the coral reef in
water knee deep, when the little fell
. low charged me with a rush. and be-
ing empty handed | retreated in some
confusion. This was, | believe, sim
ply play on the part of the shark.
In Southern Florida | heard Of but
one fatality, in which tiger shark
leaped from the water and pulled n
man down. If the shark fatalities
from all over the world were collected
great number would DO the result
IL L.