Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-08-28
A WILD ANIMAL FARM.
An Interesting Establishment in New
JERSEY

| interesting establishment. Nothing
on the outside indicates what it is,
and the low, rambling buildings that
are carefully fenced in are not par
t1cularly attractive. The place covers
several acres and here and there
sign reads, Dangerous! Keep Quit "
Dogs bark savagely at the approach
OF visitors. This is William Bartels
Wild animal farm. Within the gates
wild animals are cared for, from the
time they come into the proprietors
hands, from the four corners of the
world, until they are sold by him to
menageries, geological societies, mu-
seums and to private collectors
Agents of the concern resident ia
Africa, India, Burmah, Java and Bor-
neo, and special travelling agents, all
collect specimens that are shipped
from points where the animals are
native to Jersey City. The voyages
are sometimes very long, and a herd
of six elephants from Calcutta, only
just received, were SO days on the
way.
The houses in the Enclosure are
many, but they all have the aspect of
menagerie. The principal houses
are three. They are known, respect
lively, as the "hayhouse," "cathouse"
and ''birdhouse." They are given
these names because animals eating
hay are kept grouped in the playhouse
The cat family, of course, occupy the
cathouse; while the birds in and out
OF cages, are cared for in the bird
house There are tanks as wen in
, which sea-lions, gold fish and other
animals living in the water find kind
! OF substitute for the homes from
! which they have been taken. One of
the gold fish tanks frequently con-
tains 100000 gold fish. 1t often hap
6 pens that as many as 100000 fish
: will be handled during the winter
season.
Q Things are little quiet at the wild
o animal farm just now because large
q number of the animals are away for
the summer. Collections are made
: and rented to summer resort parks
n maintained by railroads and others.
D AS much as $4,000 is obtained for a
- good collection of animals for season
of II weeks, including care and feed,
:. but no transportation. The animals
go away in June and are returned in
September. Members of the wild
T animal family are now at Haverhill
q Brockton and Lawrence, Mass. The
G large kangaroo, familiar to visitors
4 at Coney Island, came from this estab
II lishment. Three Indian cobras, the
+ most deadly of all the venomous
serpents, from this place, are now at
4 Bronx Park. They are worth $50
:, each.
The most SUPERB beast now at the
= farm is a young Bengal tiger from
r Sumatra. One may look at this cat
S without fear, but it is much safer not
r to touch. A good tiger is valued at
from $500 to $500 or more. ACCORDING
V to age, condition, etc. The only lion
r now on view at the Jersey City estab
T llshment is female. Lions cost $3.50
q to $500. One of the most recent ar
Cd rivals at the farm is young polar
d bear. He was purchased from Thomas
w. Lawson, of Boston, last month II
n was the intention of Mr.. Lawson tC
: make pet of this arctic creature
O but the bear did not seem inclined tc
d take kindly to this idea, and so he
q became thing of mercandise. Across
=, the way was fine specimen of hyena
# They are by no means as pleasing in
r. type as are some other animals, and
# yet they sell for $3.50 each Farther
!" along in an Enclosure there are -four
h camels. They were three months in
/ Journeying from the point of ship
ment to destination. Their humps
fell away because of the hardships OF
, the voyage, and they all look poor
:, and very skinny. They are being well
fed now however, and it will not be
{ long before their humps will be solid
y The tapir, from Malacca, was asleep
t and had to be awakened to, show his
fine points. He is mild and inof-
y fensive animal, with a very thick
i skin, out of which the Indians make
T bucklers so hard as to resist the point
OF an arrow. A German grysbok, in
t his stall, amused himself by jumping
toward the door, through which the
visitors could look between cracks.
I To the right of his royal highness the
s grysbok two llamas rested A fine
e zebra came next. He was 70 days in
transport from India to this country
, and touched German port on the
e way, otherwise it would have taken
him still longer When a customer is
found for him he will fetch at least
$500. In scattered cages were some
wildcats, tiger cats and an East In
l dian lynx. These vary in price from
$40 for wildcat to SIS for the lynx
4 The bears that winter at the farm are
Y in Massachusetts for the summer.
r They bring from $50 to SIS each.
One of the resident herd of four elk
was male. He had magnificent ant
lers and was SCARED more than is the
average German student from the
duets and fights that he had been in
A pair of elks costs $3.50 Many
examples of various sorts of deer are
dodgers at the farm. Australia has
sent some of her animals in the
amusing little kangaroos kept in the
playhouse" They jumped merrily
about, entirely care and sorrow free.
When you buy one of them you part
, company with from $50 to SIS, which,
/, however, is reasonable, considering
everything.
Some of the snakes come very
much higher in price, and if you want
to buy 17-foot snake you must save