The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-04

animals. When the doctor started in
business he made an arrangement with
the Philadelphia Zoo by which many of
his most expensive left over animals were
wintered at the expense of the City of
BrOtherly Love. This gave him an idea.
If large cities were willing to board wild
animals for the privilege of exhibiting
them, why shouldn't he find someone
willing to exhibit them at a profit and
share that profit with him. From this
suggestion grew the Norfolk, Va, scheme,
the parent of the winter-rented shows in
this country. He made an arrangement
with the owner of park in that city TO
exhibit a number of cages of animals
through The winter, the profits of which
were to be shared by them. The venture
was a success, and the exhibition grew
in size until now it is one of the most
creditable of its kind in the country. The
animals were shipped to Glen island
every summer, and added their share of
pleasure to visitors TO the sound resort.
But Glen island was not large enough
TO hold all the animal that the doctor &C
cumulated. As the American partner of
the associated European dealers, he
Oftentimes found himself stocked up with
lions and tigers, leopardS and elephants
beyond the demand. If it is hard lines
for man TO have one white elephant on
his hands, the reader can easily imagine
what it is to have three or four, and
collection of big cats thrown in. Then it
was that the doctor thought of extending
the renting system throughout the coun-
try. Last year his efforts met with so
much success that this season found him
with more orders almost than he could
fill, and with the rapid increase in out
door amusement places. the demand
stands a fair chance of growing far be-
You'd the possible supply.
The prices paid for animals and attend
ants where the doctor supplies every
thing, including food, is from 81, 300 to
50, 500 for the summer. For this amount
he furnishes from ten to twenty cages.
Here is an average assortment:
An elephant, two ocelots, a panther,
two lions. tiger, a camel, two bears,
two wolves, a leopard, a seal and deer,
monkeys prairie dogs, alligators, snakes,
an ostrich and cage or two of rare
birds.
In addition to these he also has sent
out this year several sea lions, llamas and
armadillos. One great advantage of the
renting system is that if the animals die,
their places are supplied by the
owner and the lessee loses nothing by
the bereavement except the wear and tear
on his feelings, supposing him to be a
| kind-hearted man fond of dumb crea-
lures. 1t costs rather more to feed a
| menagerie than most persons would sup
| pose. The doctor gave the following fig
ures the other day: Cost of food per
! day: Ocelot, 6 cents; panther, 80 cents;
lion, IS cents tiger, IS cents; camel, 50
cents; bears, 25 cents each: wolves, 80
cents each elephant, 50; sea lion 10
! cents; seal, 20 cents; monkeys and apes,
! from 10 to 30 cents each snakes, % cents
| a week, and birds, cents a day. The
deer are fed on grass cut in the parks
and their feed does not generally cost he
| owner anything.
AS to prices the doctor gives the fol
! lowing up-to date list:
Elephant, 81 500; tiger, 81 200; leopard,
| $500; panther, 5000; lion, $500 to 81 goo;
| bear, S25 to 500; wolves, $50; seal, SO to
! e25; sea lion, SIS to 500; monkeys, $40 to
! $500; apes, $50 to S150 In the common
! varieties, deer, S25 to 500; llama, 500 /;
alligators s. a foot ostrich, $500; prairie
! dogs, 81 armadillO. SIS snakes, Sl5 10
! Sl5O. and parrots, - to so. No price is
! quoted for camels because at the present
| time there are no camelS in the market.
! Not long ago the Mystic Shriners of
! Providence, II. l.. wanted to give a camel
| to the public park department of that
| city and they sent to DR.. Conklin for a
| specimen ship of the desert. He was I'M
| able to send one. He cabled to Europe
| and found that there were none to be had
! in the open market, either in England or
| on the continent, and as the presentation
! was set down for last Friday there was
not time enough to send to Africa for one
| So the Shriners had to go to a leading
| circus man, who sold them one at his own
| figure
When the summer renting season is
| over the animals are returned, and during
/ the winter they are distributed between
| the Philadelphia zoo, Norfolk and vari-
/ Gus dime museums throughout the coun-
! try. Within the past few years western
/ dime museum men have been going heav-
| lily into the menagerie business, and this
| year the doctor expects a larger trade
/ than ever before. In this line the dealers
| in monkeys and other small animals enter
1 largely and the winter months are begin
/ ming to be welcomed by many dealers as
/ among the best in the entire year.