Evening star., 1898-07-23
At the Present Rate They Will Soon
Be Extinct.
WOULD END THE TRADE In IVORY
Animals That Might Be the Best
Friends of Man.
RUTHLESSLY DESTROYED


|
go free state At the present rate OF merci-
less slaughter. the race OF African e eephants
! in the Congo free state will become totally
extinct in less than ten years. The total
| destruction Of these African elephants
| means the ruin OF the ivory trade a mat
| ter OF vital Importance to Antwerp, which
has or late years become by far the most
| important ivory market in Europe ahead
even of London and Liverpool
| Mr.. Paul Bourdarie eminent authority
| on African elephants has Just been dele
gated by the French National Society for
| the Tanning OF the African Elephant" to
make an agreement with the government of
| the Congo free state at Brussels concern
| ing the necessary measures to he taL.p "a
domesucate young elephants An hone
| therefore, has not been abandoned notvrith-
stahaias numerous fruitless attempts to see
uie AFRICAN elephant become. like his In
dlan brother, a precious helprnate to the
explorer, the colOnist and the warrior
The only pity is that this movement for the
protection Of the African elephant should
| nave started SO late, when the race has
| Teen almost entirely destroyed by native
| and European ivory hunters
| Inc opinion was long held by competent
| authorities that the African elephant ow-
! -rg TO his violent temper and savage ma
| lure, never could be domesticated and that
| the only use Of the animals was to XIII them
ior thelr tusks Those who held this opin-
| ion forgot that the domestlcatIon. or rather
| the education. of an animal Is not the work
| OF few months. even a few years hut
! the slow process of centuries by the grad
ual transformation of the animals charac-
| ter from generation to generation.
Demand for Ivory.
The cause of the rapid destruction OF the
| African elephant is, of course. the result
of the rapidly increasing DEVELOPMENT OF
the ivory trade. Thus. the official stalls
| tlcs give tie following figures for the Ant
! werp market: In 1888 the Importation and
sale OF ivory amounted only TO 1850
| pounds, but from 1892 the Increase has
| been rapid, as the figures given below will
| shcw.
In 1892 the ivory imports amounted to
1IaNJ pounds; in 1898. $4,000 pounds: In
1874. o2p,Oo0; in 1895. 724.GO0. and finally, in
IssS, 4oo,op pounds, a marked decrease
resulting from the wholesale slaughter of
elephants in the free state. The first re-
suit of this slaughter has been to greatly
| reduce the price of ivory in the past ten
years The market price. which was very
nearly So pound in 1859, sunk to a dollar
and half in 1896.
In former days the natives of the Congo.
before the arrival of European co1onists.
only killed off a certain number of eIe-
phants every year and confined their
slaughter to the male adults But today
the natives, spurred on by European colo
nists In their greed for ivory XIII indis-
crlminately the old and the young animals
whether male or female. The difficulties
OF elephant hunting are moreover far less
than Is generally supposed. The usual
method Of the Congo natives is TO prepare
large pits into which the elephants are
driven and killed without trouble or danger
AS for the European so-called "sportsmen -
they make an easy slaughter of the Congo
elephants, thanks to their perfected fire.
arms. A Belgian sportsman" of this kind
Is mentioned, who, between April 1896 and
october, 1896 shot no less than 152 ele-
plants.
Practical Plans.
Mr.. Paul Bourdarie, who is indefatIgable
In his attempts to save the African ele-
phant from total extinction. and to whose
efforts is due the foundation of an asso-
citation in Paris for the protection of the
animals has, in the course OF his lectures
delivered in Belgium, developed a series of
practical plans. which contain the solution
OF this difficult problem. Mr.. Boundaries
proposals may be summed UP in his pro-
1ected international agreement between
Belgium, France, England and Germany,
to regulate elephant hunting and to domes-
ticate the animals, inasmuch as 1t is pos
sible to do so.
Great hopes are expressed by Mr.. Bour-
darfa, who is about to sail for the Congo on
an official mission. to be exclusively devoted
to the domeStication of the African ele-
phant, that his present efforts will be
crowned with success. Certainly there is
no time to be lost IL the last remaining
remnants Of the elephant tribe are to be
saved But once thoroughly domesticated.
the African elephant would like his Indian
cousin, become, thanks to his great
strength, Intelligence and height. a power
ful auxiliary In the work of African colo
nization.
Easily Handled.
In the whole animal creation there is not
to be found creature more intelligent,
harmless an more easily managed, more
apt, in other words to become the friend
and helpmate of man, than the elephant.
1t has taken all the ferocious brutishness
OF the African negroes melted by the GRIM
fnal cupidity Of Arab and European ivory
merchants to transform into a savage and
ferocious animal creature best suited by
nature to be mans associate. In or6er to
fully realize the effects of mans kindness
on the elephant 1T is but necessary to COM
pare the veneration, respect and genuine
anection with which it is surrounded by the
natives of India, and on the other hand the
stupid barbarity of the African negro hunt
ers When the Hindoo hunts the elephant
1t Is not for the purpose of killing him and
saving on his tusks, but to catch him alive
and tame him.
Help to the Hindoos
The elephant renders such great services
to the Hindoos that in the depth of their
gratitude the animal has been elevated to
the rank OF a god. The British government
In India makes use of elephants in various
departments of state administration In
the engineer corps they are used to carry
materials for bridge and road building in
the lumber districts they are Invaluable for
carrying of logs from the forests to the
saw mill. task which they perform with
lar greater dexterity than workingmen
would But It is more particularly in the
army. especially for the transportation of
artillery over steep and dangerous noun
tain passes, that the elephant Is Invaluable
OF all this, the African negroes who mas
sacre every year more than 10 900 of these
useful animals. knew absolutely nothing
Mr.. Bourdarie has therefore decided to
take with him on his expedition a certain
number OF Hindoo elephant tanners,
through whose help II is hoped that the
Congo animals may, in time reach the
same degree of civilization as their Asia;io
brethren.
An Attempt That Failed.
In former days an attempt was made by
the African Association to introduce the
Asiatic elephant into the Congo regions
The success Of the famous Abyssinian
campaign, largely due to the help of forty
four Hindoo elephants, who carried the
heavy British artillery across the noun
tainous ravines of Ethiopia. was still fresh
IN everybodys mind. In 1879, therefore,
four Indian elephants. which had been
brought from Calcutta under the care of
British consul, were landed I'm the bay OF
NJ sasani. A few DAYS after landing one