New-York tribune., 1901-07-07
AN AFRICAN ZOO"
SIR HARRY JOHNSTON'S SUGGESTION
THAT A GREAT GAME PRESERVE
BE ESTABLISHED IN BRIT
ISH EAST AFRICA
SUGGESTION
From The Spectator.

From The Spectator
Sir Harry Johnston proposes that the govern
ment shall be asked 10 sanction the reservation
Of tract of extraordinary natural game coun-
try. through which he has just passed,
national park and game preserve, or rather
wild Zoo for future generations. The idea
would pass into the fact, if he We're dealing with
Congress in America. before the session was
over. Here. too. public opinion has grown very
fast questions of this kind. and il is earnestly
TO be hoped that the Colonial Ofiice will say
Yes at once. before il is late. Instead OF
being in an inaccessible part of the Dark Cont
iient. the border of the proposed wild African
Too lies within TWO days march of the
Uganda Railway, just where ii begins to de
ecend from the Mao escarpment into the great
valley in which Lake Victoria rises. Thence it
Iuns north and east on elevated plains from the
tim of which some of the most beautiful and
toEishIlg scenery that the world has to show
lies spread before the eyes in what seems a linn
l-less panorama. The splen cid photographs Of
these scenes, taken for the Uganda Railway
Committee. and now stored at the Colonial Of
Zee. are like nothing 50 much as Martins ia
nous pictures OF the plains Of heaven. The
Multitude has struck both those who have seen
he pictures here nd those who have just
turned from similar ground in Central Africa.
The nearest point on the railway. our imperial
line which crosses the celestial plains. is FL
donna Rayine Station and the country, the
rte Of the proposed reserve, is a partly open,
Shuy wooded plain, partly dense forest
IN which the new beast. the okapi. was
fundD. and well watered by the heads
,r rivers. 1t is ready stocked with animals To =
O.. gree which as-onished even Sir Harry John
ton used as hs is To the herds thu lower
rartS of the railWa" In Interview with
l'cuter's correspondent, corrobor"ted s'li'se-
,.l-ntly by his own remarks TO the Hoploglcal
Society Tuesday, he stated that near Mount
3 son he passed through the most extraordinary
Gl.antity Of big game that he had ever seen in
tropical Africa The country rs uninhablted
nd no one need fear that are disposs"ssing
t1e aborigines if we take II over as national
rust The natives succeeded in killing each
other off 50 effectually that there are none lett
one result has been TO induce the anlhlalS 10
lay aside all fear of man a natural enemy
'fkey tame as deer in an English park
nv expedition says Sir Harry Johnston
-.raesed through herds Of elephants, and was
continually putting up rhinocerCses, singly ans
IA rairs We could really be said have been
escorted for stretches of several miles by Zebras
and aptelopes that would approach within ten
vards Lions constantly met with, but
we're so hard at work zebra and hartoeest
that they did not interfere with the caravan.
This wonderful land is only five hundred miles
by rail from Monbasa, whence any one can
travel first class TOR 80. mile. and enjoy the
use Of a sleeping car
BEASTS LESS DESTRUCTIVE THAN MEN
The insstence protection from man, and
The Indifference OF practical people 10 the tenn
r,Grarv presence in such natural park OF
numbers Of lions and other fierce carnVora, are
justified by experience, though most people
,.-.,,d imagine that "A permanent population of
IONS was more destructive than the lnroads oi
hunters. But il is certain that the creatures
~-lich oaly kill 10 eat never destroy species, as
ne man does who kills to sell. The balance OF
iature is something mere than phrase When
nam who has raised himself above nature does
:.ct intrude to upset IL, the forces OF deSifuc-
On and reproduction are generally equal when
7e account is made up. When Audubon made
rs voyage up the headWaters of the MIS-
souri, the buffalo hunting Indians had been
most annihilated by smallpox consequently
d, u the primeyal praires where there were theh
20 large carniyora Of any kind TO Kill OH the
:ralo though wolves doubt destroyed
any of the calves, the indigenous fauna was
lfacticaIly left in natural conditions over
I1illions of acres where there is now not a
lead of game left except a lew prohshorh a!lLe
Ior,es the buffalo grazed like domestic cattle
Ia some places thousands could be seen at d
,i.ne Wapiti deer also. which are now only
found on the mountains and in the spruce for
esfs grazed among the buffalo like deer ana
cattle in a park. r
Mr.. j. r.. >. Moore, in the interesting RECORD oI
his second expedition TO the central lakes OF