The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-14

thflVen remarkably, and 1t was conH-
IDENTIFY hoped that it's union with the
young male Which has just died would
result in the reproduction of fresh
family of these strange and interesting
animals. Throughout Europe giraffes
have been of late years, thanks princi-
pally to the closing Of the Soudan trade
routes by he mahdi's adherents, ex-
tremely scarce, and the supply in other
parts of Africa is without doubt being
depleted rapidly and surely year by
year. Even in the further Soudan
these animals are being gradually ex-
terminated.
Giraffe hide-which in the mature
animal attains thickness of at least
an inch upon the upper parts-is a
commodity eagerly sought after by all
natives south and north of the equator.
From 1t are fashioned sandals, shields
and whips, and the demand for it Is
owing to the determination of the
rhinoceros and hippopotamus, rapidly
increasing. In South Africa the value
of the skin of ful1-grown bull giraffe
is at the present time, even far up
country, about Go, and to secure this
| reward large numbers of giraffes,
wherever these animals are plentiful,
are annually slain, principally to sup
| ply the constant demand for sjamboks
that is, colonial rawhide whips. 1t
| is within the writer's knowledge that
| quite recently during two seasons
hunting, not less than 800 giraffes have
| been shot by native hunters near Lake
| Ngami. That slaughter, within linn
| tied district, represents naturally only
a Snf ytn,-, no
| which is, month by month and week by
week, going forward in the African con-
| tinent.
Not until firearms and horses were
introduced into Africa did the present
! lamentable period Of determination set
in. Native Africans, with their own
primitive weapons-spears and bows
and arrows-made little impression on
the numbers Of these stately quadru-
| peds. Even in the pitfalls and hopos,
| once so abundant in the interior of
South Africa, few CRATES were taken
as compared with other quadrupeds.
But as soon as breechloading rifles, and
/ especially hunting horses, appeared the
gigantic mammal became almost sure
| ly doomed to extinction. Even with the
modern rifle the European on foot finds
| it difficult to approach and stalk such
shy and suspicious game as giraffes.
Moreover, in the greater part of those
regions of southern Africa in which
| these creatures are now to be found,
| the country is almost waterless, and
| the foot hunter has no possible chance
| of attaining his purpose. In the north
ern part of the KaIahari desert, for in
| stance, where large numbers of giraffes
| still roam, 1t Is impossible to approach
| these animals except on horseback, and
then only with great difficulty. Giraffes
| have the faculty, in common with sew
eral of the ante1opes, such as the
Gland and gemsbok, of being able to
| support life for long periods without
| touching water. For this reason, in
their last southern stronghold-the
north Kalahari-giraffe have thus far
been able to resist utter extinction.
But with the aid of horses and water
carts considerable portions of this vast
waterless tract of country are now be-
ing rendered accessible to hunters, and
even there CRATES are gradually being
swept from existence. The Kalahari is
not by any means sheer desert. 1t
lacks surface water, but much of it's
fiat yet elevated expanse is covered
with great forests of giraffe-acacia and
/ other timber, brush and excellent
grasses. Gradually all this country
will be settled by pastoral farmers,
wells will be sunk and permanent We
ters opened up. BY that time-not
very remotely distant--giraffes south
of the Zambesi will have become abso-
lutely extinct.
With the horse the chase of the
giraffe is rendered comparatively easy,
as even native hunters have, unfort-
unately for the animal, long since
found out. 1t is true that giraffes are
possessed of very considerable speed
and great staying power But the Sc
cret of their downfall is very easily
discovered. If the hunter presses his
horses at topmost speed with whip and