The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-03
MILD AFRICAN .HEPRANIS.
THE BREED IN GREAT DANGER OF
BEING ExTE1MINATED.

THE BREED IN GREAT DANGER OF
BEING ExTEssMINATED.
Ruin Of the Ivory Trade weuld Fol-
low-stsDia Barbarity 81 African
Negre Hsnt<rs-Hindoe Elephant
Taners-ElepAants In Rattle.
The question OF the day In Belgium is
the protection of African elephants IN the
Kongo Free State. At the present rate %
nnsrciless slaughter the race OF African sle-
nhanss in the Kongo Free State VII be-
come totally extinct In less than ten years.
The total destruction Of these African ell
ephants means the ruin Of the ivory trade,
a matter OF vital Importance 70 Antwerp.
which has of late years become by Tar
the most important ivory market in Eu-
rope ahead even o. London and Liverpool.
Mr. Paul Bourdar!e eminent author
ity on African elephants. has just been
delegated by the French National Society
for the Tanning OF the African Elephant
20 make an agreement with tae govern
ment of the Kongo Free Ctate at Brussels
concerning the necessary measures 70 be
taken to doraesticate young elephants All
| hope, therefore. has not been abandoned,
notwithstanding numerous fruHleSs at
ter,pts to see the African elephant be-
come Ike MS Indian brother. precious
helps.aate 10 the explorer. The colonlst and
the warrior The only pity is that this
movement for the protection Of the Al
rfcan elephant Should have started so late,
when the race has been almost entArety
Destroyed by native and European IVORY
hunters.
The opinion was long held by competent
authorities that the African elephant. ow-
ing TO his violent temper and savage ma
| ture. never could De domest!cated. and that
| the only use OF the animals was 10 kaH
| them for their tusks. Those who heiu TINS
| opinion forgot that the dou,esticauon. or
| rather the education OF an animal. is not
| the work OF few months. or even few
| wears. but the slow process or centuries
| Nv the gradual transformation OF the ami
| mails character from generation TO sener-
alton.
| The cause of the rapid destruction o. the
! African elephant is OF course. the result
| - tha ranssf1y increasing development of
| the livery trade Thus. the official status
| ties give the following figures for the Ant
| werp market. II. 1875 the importation and
| sale of ivory amounted only to L. $40
| hounds. but from 1882 the increase mas
| been rapid, as the figures given peiow VIII
] show.
In 1882 the ivory imports amounted to
| t,s 900 rounds: in 1853. zisoo9 pounds: in
| 1894 $500; IN 1885. 2s,on, and hnaiiy, IN
| 1Sa; 400 COO pounds, a marked decrease re-
| sultng from the wholesale sIauSnter OF
eier,nants in the Free state Inc hfsl re-
| suit OF this slaughter has been TO greatiy
| reduce the price OF ivory In the past ten
| wears The market price, which was very
| nearly s. a pound in 1889, sunk TO Siao IN
| 1896
| In former days the natives OF the kongo.
| before the arrival of European coionists'
n~faf in, my p
! phants every year and confined ihelr
| slaughter 10 the male adults. But today
| the natives, spurred on by European col
| onists in their greed for ivory. XIII indls-
| crirainateiy the old and the young animals,
| whether male or female. The d.fhculties
! of elephant hunting are. moreover, lar less
| than Is generally supposed. The usuai
| method of the kongo natives is 70 prepare
| Isrve pits into which the elephants are
! driven and killed without trouble or dan
| ger. As for the European so-calied sports
men, they make an easy slaughter or the
| Koneo elephants thanks 10 their perfected
| firearms A Belgian sportsman" of this
| k,nS * n, sEtioned who. between April. 1875,
| ard Oe,ob sr. 1896, shot no less than i52 ele-
| plants.
| Mr.. Paul i9ourdarie. who is indefatigahle
| in his a.tem hts TO save the African eie-
| plant from total extinction ana TO whose
| efforts is due Tire foundation OF an associs-
| ton in paris for the protection Of the ami
| rpalg has in the course OF his lectures
| delivered in Belgty1rn. developed series
/ of practical pYans which contain the soth-
! ton of this diticultN problem Mr. Bour-
| darie's proposals may be summed up IN MS
| protected International 'aA reemeElt between
| Re,ri,,n1 France engistn.' and Germany.
| to regulate elephant hunting aud 10 do
! megtica:e the animals ineanuen as it Is
| possible TO do SO.
Great hopes are expressed by MT Bour-
| 9arie, who is about 10 sail ftT the hohso
| on an official mission, to he exs>lt slfesy DC
| voted TO the demonstration OF the African
| elephant. that his present efforts VIII De
! crowned with success. Certainly there Is
30 time 10 be lost If the last re- NAMING
| remnants of the elephant tribe are 10 ne
| sayAi Rut once thoroughly domestic eh'en
th, African elephant would Ike hts In aafn
| cousin become thanks 10 his 81 eat
strength Satelligance and height, powev-
! fal allxiliar, III the work Of African COL
onization.
In the whole animal creation there is
| not to be found A creature more intelE-
| gent harmless and more easily managed.
| more apt in other words to become he
| friend ard helpmate Of man. than the Gle
| plant. II has taken all the ferceious bru-
fishness OF the African negroes melted by
| the criminal cupidty of Arab and Euro
| rean ivory merchants to transform into
| savage and ferocious animal. creature
best suited by nature to be mans associ-
ate In order to fully realize the efrec; of
| mans kindness on the elephant. IL is bat
necessary to compare the veasration. re-
| specs ard genuine affection with which IL
| Ia surrounded by the natives or indiss and
| on the other hand the stupid baroarsty
.x.S.s...s.s.,.G.s
s $3.50