Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-04-01

How Sport and Fashion are Devastating
the Animal Kingdom.

How Sport and FASHION are Devastating
the Animal Kingdom.
How extensive and rapid are the
changes occurring in the fauna Of the
world may not, perhaps. be generally
realized. Race after race OF animals
has disappeared from the globe through
the operation OF natural causes, but
the chief responsibility for the destruc-
ton must be placed at the door of man.
The extinction of the great aux or
penguin. and the rytina. or arctic sea-
COW. is of comparatively recent date;i
the bison Is nearly on his last legs
except those the curators of the mus
Gums will supply him with-and the
walrus has become very scarce Ten
years ago peccaries were abundant In
Texas. but hogskin goods came into
vogue. fifty cents apiece were offered
for peccary hides, and in five years
time the peccary had practically be-
come extinct The famous halibut Is be-
coming more difficult to find with each
recurring season, and no longer Is
Chesapeake Bay the inexhaustible
source Of supply of the succulent oys-
ter.
For years the danger of the elephant
becoming extinct has been pointed out
by scientists on account of the inn
mense annual slaughter of these ex-
ceedingly useful, IL ponderous animals,
and the British government in India
has been repeatedly warned to exercise
authority in the matter This beast
plays such an important part in the
military, as well as in the domestic,
economy of the British government In
India that the authorities have at last
taken alarm at the decreasing numbers
of the animal, and have at length de-
cided on instituting repressive regula-
tons regarding their slaughter
These are to be very stringent and to
be rigidly enforced. Elephant hunting
will no longer be permitted as mere
pastime, and due supervision will be
exercised over the trade in ivory. To
supply the world with ivory necessi-
tates the death, every year, of 100000
Elephants; and If these were placed
in single file they would make pro-
cession $50 miles long. So rapidly, of
late years, has the elephant been done
to death that the next generation OF
museum visitors will be gazing at his
remains with the same interest that
we do, now, at the remains of the mas
todon.
Fashion-that memorable dame
whose dictates must be executed IL the
heavens falls responsible for much
of the destruction of both beasts and
birds. 1t was the demand for its feath-
ers that brought about the extinction
of the great auk-the only bird in the
northern hemisphere that enjoyed the
proud distinction of being incapable of
flight-being ruthlessly killed by thou
sands, both in Europe and in the north
of America, until, about 1910, it was no
longer to be found. Seals, despite the
restrictions placed around their kill
ing; fur-bearing animals OF all kinds;
birds of gay plumage; alligators. croc-
odiles and reptiles of every variety,
are being decimated to satisfy the in
satiable demands of fashion. Among
the items at one single sale in London,
Eng, recently, were the following:
5000 birds of paradise, 5000 Impeyan
pheasants, 400, 900 humming birds, $780,
900 skins of fur-bearing animals, and
100000 'possum and 10000 monkey
skins The fashionable sealskin sacque
demands the lives of 100000 fur seals
every year, and fully 100000 hair seals
are annually slaughtered.
At the door of the sportsman also lies
some of the responsibility for the ex-
tinction of animals. In South Africa
the zebra is no longer to be seen in his
accustomed haunts, and the giraffe is
met with but seldom.