The Washington weekly post., 1900-12-11
Africa Converted Into a Vast
Game Preserve.
A CONVENTION OF BIG NATIONS
Seven Great European Powers Have sign
ed an Agreement TO Prsiect Certain Amir
mails Which Are Threatened with Extinc-
tien-The W bite Rbineceres, Giraffe, and
Other Great Mammals Have Almost Dis
sppeared-The Biggest Of All AnteIepes.


| tinetion, owing to reckless destruction By
| spOrtsmen and hunters for hides and
ivory. The area thus marked out as a
vast game preserve extends from the
| twentieth parallel Of north latitude to
| the southern line Of the German posses
siOns In the dark continent, and from the
Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and
! the Red Sea. Under the terms of the con-
ventiOn the hunting OF giraffes. goriilas.
chimpdnzees. mountain ZebTas, brindled
gnus. Glands, and the little Liberian hip
| popotamus is prohibited. The young OF
| the elephant, rhinoceros, hippOpotamus,
| zebra, antelope, and ibex are protected,
and all elephants tusks weighing less
than twenty pounds are 10 be cOnfiscated
Eggs Of the ostrich, as well as those of
many other birds. come under the pro-
visions of the agreement, but those of the
crocodile and of poisonous snakes and
pythOns are 10 be destroyed.
One of the animals protected by the
convention is the white or square mouth
| ed rhinoceros, which Is the largest of ex-
isting land mammals, excepting only the
elephant. Apparently this great beast
| never was very common, beirg a local
species. confined originally 90 those parts
Of South Africa where were to be found
1 NiAt OItA BiasSs AioNAc ntftSSdfy 10 It's
! existence. II is now on the verge OF ex-
tinction, only few individuals remain
ing alive. On the other hand. the black
rhinoceros is still very plentiful in many
parts of the interior of the dark conti-
nent, and its final determination is likely
TO be postponed for some centuries.
Giraffe Not Protected.
The giraffe. unless protected, must sue
I frHrv.. l.s.F1
in considerable numbers over a great ex-
tent Of country south OF the Zambesi.
1t occurs in various other localities, and
many small herds wander over parts of
the Kalahari Desert Like the Gland, Al
is most common where water is scarcest,
and doubtless ii is able to go for a very
long time without drink The meat of
the beast is particularly good to eat, and
the natives, While hunting il on this ae-
count, find valuable uses for its skin,
making water-bottles and other things
out of ii. The hide is an inch and half
thick, and a rife bullet will not pierce il
Unless at short range
This interesting creature is the tallest OF
all animals, sometimes attaining a height
of eighteen feet, so that ii is able TO
browse on the tOpmost branches of mi
moSa and acacia trees. 1t is the sole
surviving species representing a distinct
family Of ruminants, and seems to be re-
lated to the deer. the OK and the camel
Formerly ii existed in Europe and Asia.
where its fossil bones are occasionally
dug up but at the present time its range
is restricted TO the great plains of the in
terror Of South Africa. Though ordinarily
gentle, it will fight fiercely on occasion.
and its kick has been described as the
second most powerful blow In nature, th.s
first being the stroke of a whales tail.
and the third the tap of a lions paw. The
giraffe is never known to utter a sound
under any circumstances even when
wounded. As runner it is famous, ana
only good horse can overtake ii.
Biggest of All Anteiopes.
The eland is threatened with extinction
largely because of its great size. 1t is the
biggest Of all the antelopes, being almost
as large as a COW, and is slow and clumsy
compared with most of its congeners. It's
flesh being very good to eat, it has been
much hunted on that account Already il
is exterminated in Cape Colony, Natal,
the Orange Free State, and the Trans
ysal. In the Kalahari Desert there are
still a good many of these animals, and
occasional herds of them wander out of
that desolate retreat In search of a GER
tain kind of bush, the leaves of which
they are very fond of. In the desert a
small wild melon containing a considera
Bile quantity of water grows plentifully.
and 1t is supposed that this serves to as
suage the thirst of Glands and CRATES in
the hot and dry season.
The brindle gnu is another large ante
lope, and is one of the most remarkable
and interesting quadrupeds of South Af-
rlca. From the front it looks somewhat
like a small OK, and from the rear like a
horse. The Hottentots call it baas. meaning
master, on account of its bold and fierce
bearing. Ii has near relative called the
white-taileG gnu, and both species former
ly inhabited in enormous multitudes the
grassy plains north of the VaaI River
After the summer rains each year they
advance in large herds as far as the south
ern branches of the Orange River, and on
reaching that stream the white-tailed gnus
would cross over into Cape Colony, to be
slaughtered in great numbers by hunters.
For some reason unknown, no brindle gnu
ever passed the river.
The brindled gnu is now extremely
scarce in the Transvaal, ana practically
extinct in the Orange Free State. 1t IS
still met with in Bechuanaland, along the
edges of the Kalahari Desert, and in some
other localities. Owing TO the open char
acter Of the country in which il lives, il is
one of the most difficult beasts TO stalk.
Ii has suffered greatly from the cattle
disease. which, while causing much loss If
domesticated beasts. has wiped out i'm
mense numbers of game animals of many
kinds in South Africa. including giraffes
and Glands.
Elephants Not Protected.
The African elephant. though not yet on
the verge OF extinction. cannot long es-
cape determination, unless protected in
some way. Within the last few years the
demand for ivory has greatly increased, |
and il Is reckoned that each twelve-mOnth
l00000 of the giant pachyderms are slain 10
supply the market with this commodity.
Formerly large quantities of tUsks, accu-
mulated through centuries. were owned
by native chiefs in the interior. and these
stores were drawn upon through traders |
But now this dead ivory has been prac-
ticaIly used up. and an elephane has to be
killed for every pair Of tusks furnished TO
the trade. A notion OF the significance OF
the number Of elephants mentioned is con-
veyed by the statement that l00,e00 OF the
animals, placed in a continuous line.
in Africa is prosecuted largely for the
purpose of getting bearers 10 carry tusxs
10 the coast Raiding parties in the en-
ploy o: the traders attack the native
towns and carry of the able-bodied
adults. killing all the children and old
neoule Thus II was that Explorer Stan
lev said that every pound Of ivory that
reaches Europe costs the life of a man, |
woman, or child. and every twenty tusks, |
are secured at the price OF the destructieq |
OF an entire district. with all its people, |
villages. and plantations
The African elephant is a species dis
tinct from the Asiatic. and IL grows a |
foot higher At birth II weighs 225 |
p0usds, and It's life Is supposed 20 aver
age eighty years, though ii is said to |
reach l20 years sometimes. Rapaeious |
hunters nowadays are killing both old |
and young, and the international agree |
ment Is aimed particularly at the control |
Of this business Inefteufaltu aFTaFta "a i