The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-03-22
WILD ANIMAL MARKET.
stimulated ny American geological
Psrks--Prices Raised by the south
African Wharf.-The War Hard ON the
Giraffe, which Is Edible.
New York Post. }

Heinrich Hagenbeok OF Hamburg, son
Of Carl Hsgenbeok, the famous dealer in
wild animals, who has bSen In this city
for the past week, left yesterday for Bal
timcre to receive q consignment OF anil
mails now due. just before leaving he
said to a reporter that the market for
wild animals was never 90 good as 10 10
now. and then continued: This IL
largely due TO the number Of new zoolog-
ioal gar lens which are teing started over
the Unite States. They have them now
at Det:o oft, Chattanooga. Buffalo Chica-
go, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh. philadelphia,
Providence and New York.
"In the cargo there IL Q giant eala-
IN snder from Apan, three wart-hogs from
North Africa and Abyssinia, Anoa ante
lopss, horss-tail antslopss. which the
shnwmsn will probably call horned
horses Markhoor ibsx, o black drill
moakey,' which Is like the ordinary
msndrill except that the face IL black In
stead Of blue, some sohidnas, the strange
egg-laying mammals Of Australia, the
first ever brought alive to this country,
and a thirty foot Indian Python. The
drill monkey IL the largest specimen OF
his kind Of which We have any record.
Among trained animals there 10 Q team
consisting of an elephant, q pony, . boar
hound, and a monkey. The elephant Is
one OF the few that have learned to ride
bicycle.
"Is 1t true that the south African war
has affected the price of Wild animalsr
Mr.. Hagepbeok was asked.
'iIt certainly has," said Mr.. Hagen
beck. GAN South African animals have
risen in price. when they re not out Of
the market. A zebra, for instance,
which could be bought for $500 or 500
year or SO ago, will now bring thou
sand. 1t Is hard to quote any exact hg-
ures in regard to the prioeS OF animals.
as SO much depends on the condition OF
the particular specimen. But to come
back to Africa We had two men just
starting for the interior when the war
broke out. We have not beard from them
since. OF course, they can collect Moth
ing until hostilittes are over. The same
thing happened to our agents In Manila
when the city was captured by Admiral
Dewey. We had q big collection there,
all ready to be shipped, but there was no
way of sending Ii. Our men held to the
cages as long as they could, for the col.
lection was valuable, but affairs In that
part Of the world were IN too chaotic a
condition for him to get any protection
for his property. All she animals finally
fell into the hands Of the Fiiipinos. who
slRu ghtersd and ate them.
"That, It Is said. Is just what the Beers
are doing to the few remaining girHtfes
In south Africa. Giraffe meat 10 excel
lent eating, and the skins made good
leather. Anyhow. they are being killed
doubtful If there will be any left when
the war Ia ove-. People do not realize
how rapidly the giraffe Is becoming ex-
tinct, in captivity as we'll as In wild
state. At present do not think there lie
. single living giraffe In America. Thare
were thrae few years ago, but they have
all died. In Europe know OF but six.
Two are In London, ono in Berlin, one
In Antwerp. one In Paris, and one In
Frankfort. All but two of these are old
animals, and cannot live many years
longer.
sit has also become next to impossible
to procure the rhiDooeros. The animals
are not extinct, but they have retired $50
far mp into Central Africa that 1t Is DIM
cult to get to them, and harder still to
get them back to the coast when caught.
You cannot put q rhinoceros ON mule
back, neither can You make newly
caught animal perform long marches, rs
IL n6 were Lfdkbcu anu hOutAos 4ho
can elephant has also become much
scaroer of late year,, owing largely, l
think, to the havoc made by English
sportsmen. The Indian elephant is 30
much his superior, however, that the loss
does NOS affect Us much. We have twelve
Indian elephants on shipboard now, by
the way, and shall have them In Ham
burg by this middle OF the month.
1.-THE Gland and the zebra of South Az
RIGA are not yet extinct. and we expect
the supply Of them to come up as soon a.
the war Is over.
"By the way" called MIR. Hagen beck,
as the reporter was just about to oloss
the door behind him. sit might inter-
est New Workers to know that l saw In
A m steFd dam q few months ago u young
hippopotamus which was born here in
Central Park. 1t is rather strange for
Am erica to be shipping animals co Eur-
ope, but she doss Ii, ID seems"