Evening star., 1901-07-06
SOME OF THEBEASdS SSUFFER
VERY WARM AT THE GEOLOGICAL
PARK TODAY.
Animals Immerse Themselves in Cool
Ing Bath Tubs and A1cept Relief
From the Gaeden Hose.

oSSepsopio meleoToiO8lo6l event just now "
the fifteen hundred and odd animals in
habitins the Washington Geological Park
Although. as was stated In The Star yes
terday. most Of the animals are able to
enjoy comparative comfort by means OF
the frequent use Of huge bath tubs filed
with cool water and a multitude of shower
baths provided by the considerate keepers
for the benef1t of the dumb captives. to-
day proved to be a very uncomfortable one
for some of the beasts, and a brief respite
from the sweltering heat which has pre-
vailed all this week would prove a boon:
Out at the Zoo there are no. asphalt
streets which absorb and reflect the heat,
but nevertheless the temperature there
averages the same during the day as in
town, and those animals whose cages or
shacks are situated down in the meadows
where there Is little or no air current are
placed at great disadvantage.
In the day time,' said Headkeeper
Blackburn to Star reporter this morning,
the air out here Is just as warm as 1t Is
In the city. and If 1t were not for the plen-
tfude OF water that Is furnished our pets
don't know just how they would manage
to exist during the heated period. Up on
the hills, however, there is usually strong
breeze, and If one stands IN the shade there
he will enjoy himself:s-But some Of the
animals haven't common sense enough to
get out of the sun, while others prefer to
remain unprotected. Why? Mainly because
in the glare of the sun the flies are less
troublesome. Down In the meadows the
heat Is very enervatng, and WI eTever pos
sible we have arranged Il 50 n t the brutes
may have the advantage Of an altitude so
that they can enjoy the breezes.
To-day is proving very uncomfortable
one for many of the animals.
dunk" the Big Elephant.
Take old Dunk the big elephant, over
there, for instance. See him sway. swing
his trunk and look around as though he
were too hot to be on top of the earth.
Where he came from it is as hot right now
as the neither side of Erebus, yet a little
matter Of 1O4 degrees for space Of a few
hours makes him very miserable The rea-
son for all this is that such animals as the
elephant are accustomed. like the grizzly
bear to live in high attitudes in the day
time.
AT night they come down to the iowiands.
The hot effects of the sun have then been
somewhat dissipated and the animals are
therefore able to regulate their hours of
work and leisure that they manage to
spend their days very comfortably. Dunk
gets a souse from the garden hose half
dozen times day, and he enjoys his bath
very much. He fairly eats the water. 1t
cools him off considerably, SO that his ex-
istence here Is not quite as miserable as 1t
might be.
"Over in the tiger cage the bath tub
we furnish the queen and her mate is a
prime favorite. There Is Minnie" con-
tinued Mr.. Blackburn. as he called for the
huge feline after the manner of calling for
an ordinary house cat The big. beautiful
animal strobe silently over in the direction
OF the speaker. who was standing near the
bath tub, and then quietly slipped into the
water. The tub is fully three and half
feet deep, and the animal stretched itself
out in the water, duclsed it's head and laid
q fttllN WHY wit h
nothing but the tips of it's ears protrudng
from the water. THE tigers, like the
elephants are accustomed to living in the
high lands of their homes during the heat
ed periods of the year said Mr.. Black
burn. They despise hot weather, and
this tub has been a salvation to them.
They like 1t immensely.
Then here are the leopards." Mr.. Black
burn reached his hand within the big iron
cage and toyed with the car of spotted
beauty which he affectionately called Fan
ME-
Likes to Re Petted.
Fannie stands three feet high and Is
magnificent specimen OF the leopard fam
lily. She evidently likes to be petted, for
as Mr.. Blackburn toyed with her she
arched her back and rubbed her silky body
against the . RS Of the cage, after the fash
ion of a house cat. The leopards stand
the weather well. also," concluded the
head keeper. They like the water when
the weather is warm and bathe very fire.
quently. OF course the seals over there are
in and out Of the water constantly, no
matter at what point the temperature may
be- We have~excellent quarters for them
here. The animals who outwardly would
seem to suffer the most are the yak, from
China, and the Cashmere goats. The
former has a growth Of hair on over half
Of his body that Is very close and fully
foot long. 1t Is a peculiar growth, but it
does not seem to be burdensome to the
animal in this weather. The yak stands it
all very well. The Cashmere goats raise
a growth, however, that IL allowed to con-
tinue at certain seasons will drag upon the
ground. They have to be attended to, and
when the warm weather arrives 1t is neces-
sary sometimes to clip their wool.
IF the Cashmere goats We're allowed to
grow their wool without attention it would
drag upon the ground and interfere with
the animals ordinary motions. The wool
sheds at certain periods Of the year, and
when it does so 1t drops In blankets. 1t is
a very remarkable animal in this respect.
There Is another feature Of the animal
life here that must be scrupulously looked
to in warm weather and that pertains to
the regulation Of the food supply. In win
ter we feed the brutes all they desire, but
in the summer 1t Is different. During the
past two months we have considerably cur
tailed the food supply, so that 1t is now
only about one-half as large as 1t Is in
winter. 1t helps to suppress animal heat
and the system Of diet has been found
to be very beneficial to the beasts during
the hot SPELL