The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-28
THE VANISHING GIRAFFE.
His Haunts in the KaIahari Desert.
a Hunting Experience.

/
a Hunting Experience.
From the New York Evening Post
Nothing could be more welcome to the
English sportsman than the announcement
in last Saturday Evening Post that the
preservat ton of the giraffe in the northern
Kalahari is at last being seriously con-
sldered. In the happy hunting days of
Gordon Cumming, the giraffe was to be
met with as far south as the Transvaal
and the Orange river. Twenty years ago
Mr.. r. C. Selous found them plentiful in
Matabeleland, and up to 1886 this shy and
| beautiful game not unfrequently made its
appearance near Khama's old capital,
Shoshong. Since then it has been slow
ly driven northward and to-day is only
found in the distant, thirstlands of the
kalahari and on the low-lyng plains to
the north of the Botetli river.
Khama, in addition to being one of the
kindest and most progressive rulers tho
Bantu race has ever produced, is also a
true sportsman, ana while he had the pow
er did what he could to reserve the fine
hunting Veldt in his northern territories
| for himself ana his people. To English
men bent on a shooting trip he gave ready
permission provided them as often not
with oxen or wagons free of charge, ana
|
"boys'' he supplied as drivers, spoorers,
and camp attendants. But to the Beers
with their reckless, wasteful methods of
! slaughter he was violently opposed and
never willingly allowed one of them to
hunt in his dominions. This grand old
negro knew at least the difference between
| shooting for money and shooting for sport,
substlety which the Boer mind
can hardly grasp. I met good many Boer
| hunters when l was In South Africa in
! 1912, but I do not remember one who
| showed any genuine love for sport apart
| from the pounds, shillings, and pence there
| were to be made out of it. They were good
enough to consider me another of those
| mad Englishmen" when I refused their
offer to buy all the giraffe skins | hagged
! for e los. apiece. The Boer has no useless
! affection to waste on animals no touch of
! that sentiment which looks on them as
| something better than an "article of COM
meree." In a Boer house you find no
trophies of the hunt hanging on the walls,
| but II you rummage among the outbuild-
! ings you will, as likely as not, come across
! antlers or horns that you would give any
thing to be able to call your own lying
| about broken and uncared for.
A giraffe to a Boer is so many yards of
excellent hide, from which he can manu-
facture negotiable riding whips and san
dals. When 1 went down-country with
| only three giraffe tails to show as the re-
suit of my long trek, they sympathized
with me on by bad luck, and when 1 ex-
| planned that 1 was perfectly satisfied, that
giraffes were plentiful, and that l had
had my fill of them, they could only look
from me to the three trophies, and from
the three trophies to me, in silent but sin
cere pity. That may seem a small thing,
! but 1t illustrates pretty well the differen-
ces between the Boer and the English tenn
permanent, Khama thoroughly sympa-
cd Will fl1.,I - fs-l<.
stltutes bag for sportsman, and set his
| face steadily against any indiscriminate
| slaughter. But the northern Kalahari
| lies 800 miles and more from his town, and
| his authority over it was more nominal
than real He could not prevent the inva-
sions of Beers and Bechuana, and these
| sporting traders have made such havoc
among the game that the extinction of the
giraffe within the next tweny years has
| become easily possible. Unless, therefore,
the Cape government or the Chartered
| Company steps in to prevent this wanton
destruction, the giraffe will soon be as
rare south of the ZamDesi as the elephant
or white rhinoceros.
The giraffe, like Burchelps zebra. has the
distinction of being peculiar to South At
! RIGA, and also resembles the smaller game
! in its absolute defencelessness. A zebra
will often stand still when you are in full
! pursuit 80 have a look at you. A giraffe, or
Gamer, 10 give MIN the universal south
| African name, is not a martyr to curiosity
to this extent. But he never seems exactly
! to realize his danger; he doesn't trouble
90 put out his best speed till safety is
! practically impossible and beyond shelter
| ing in the forest he is virtually without
any means of self protection. A Boer hum
| ter told me that he had once been struck
| at by dying giraffe but his experience,
| so far as | know, is unique. In general,
! they are as timid and defenseless to-day
as they were before rifle and bullet came
! 10 disturb their waterlesS haunts That in
! itself makes a sportsman stay his hand.
! Two hunts may be allowed in concession
| to human nature, but unless one is driven
! to il by lack of meat, third savors too
much of Boer methods
| How easy it is to preach forbearance in
! New York how hard TO carry 1t out in
South Africa! For glraffe-hunting crowds
| into twenty thrilling minutes some of the
| best excitement sportsman can ever wish
! to know. Multiply indefinitely the pleas
| ures of a sharp burst with the hounds in
one of the English shires, and still you
| get no conception of the positive ecstasy
| of pursuing these giant mammals. And for
| a sportsman on a good nag TO sight his
| game and deliberately refrain from giving
| chase involves a sacrifice that touches on
| the sublime Personally, 1 felt that my
self-denial was unequal 70 the strain, and
| after two successful hunts fell a-prayng
that might never again set eyes on the
| creatures Luckily my prayers were an
| swered; the temptation never came and 1
can look at thee giraffe's head and hoofs
and the three black bushy tails that dec
crate my rooms in England without any
| excessive self-reproach.
After all, two giraffe hunts are enough
| TO satisfy ones sporting Instincts With
elephants tigers, buffaloes, lions and bears
the case IS very different There is a
| lively risk in trying to kill any Of these
| animals, and the pursuit Of them brings
out the very best capacity man has in