The suburban citizen., 1902-06-14
TRADE IN WILD BEASTS
LARGE DIMENSIONS TO WHICH THE
INDUSTRY HAS GROWN.
Handling Exhibits For the Menageries
and Zoos Of the WorId--A Farm where
the Animals Are Restored to Health
After Their Ocean Trip.

| the Animals Are Restored TO hehith
After Their Ocean Trip.
Out of the vast range Of human in
dustries 1t would be difficult to select
calling which at first sight offers less
in the way Of remuneration than that
of the man with a literal elephant on
his hands to dispose Of, writes j, L.
| Hebard, in the New York Post. There
| are so few people who want an ele-
| phant, in the first place, that it is hard
| for one not versed in the secrets OF the
business to see how the regular barter
and sale of these huge beasts can be
source of profit. For all this, the fact
remains that the trade in not only ele-
phants, but Ostriches, camels, tigers
leopards and any other kind of wild
animal, is better to-day than ever be-
fore, and large fortunes are being made
at it by concerns all over the world.
! Not far from Jersey City, on the road
| to Newark, there is a cluster OF rough,
unpainted barns, surrounded by high
board fence, which at first glance bears
close resemblance to the out-houses
| frequently seen on old New England
! farms A closer inspection, however,
| reveals the fact that one of the build
| ings Is of unusual height and built en-
tirely of roughly squared logs, heavily
spiked together A most unearthly din,
made up of squeaks, roars, yelps and
! bays in every conceivable key, pro-
| claims still further the unusual charac-
ter Of the place.
This group Of shanties Off the main
line of travel from the city is Madden's
animal farm, known to every Snowman
and zoologst in this country and Eu-
rope Here at different seasons of the
year can be found anything from a
baby elephant fresh from India TO n
ManX cat, trained to all the tricks dear
to the heart Of the Snowman.
Madden is not himself collector
/ and acts really as agent for large anil
NAL house in Germany. He is a sort of
iobber and stands between the collec-
tor and those in search Of wild beasts.
When a Snowman loses one of the in
mates of his menagerie, or desires to
make an addition to his stock for the
next season, he lets Madden know six
months in advance, ara the animal is
| produced, sleek and fat and in prime
condition, to be put upon exhibition,
| 1t Is this matter of condition which
makes Madden a necessary party to
the transaction.
Anlmais Of all kinds, and particularly
wild beasts, unaccustomed to the re-
stricuons of a life in captivity, are very
poor travellers Camels and lions in
varlably suffer torments from seasick'
ness, and, in fact, frequently die from
| that and fright during an ocean voy-
age. AS any one who has ever seen
| any Of the North German Lloyd ships
dlscharging their occasional cargoes of
animals at Jersey City can readily be-
| lieve Maddens charges frequently
reach his farm more dead than alive.
His is the task of bringing them back
TO life, training them to docility in con-
| finement. and rendering them generally
lit for the show or park as the case
may be.
| In addition to his other department,
Madden, a year or so ago, started a
training school where animals are not
only cared for and put in good physical
condition after their arrival in this
country, but are also trained for the
ring. This is coming to be one of the
most profitable branches of the bust
ness. In speaking of It the proprietor
said:
"When first opened my present
plant we had three small sheds and a
lean-to where we kept the cattle and
deer. That was fifteen years ago, and
the demand for animals was so small
! that it was all we could do at first to
eke out a living. SO many new parks
have been started with geological gar
dens attached, in different cities of the
country, within the last ten years,
however, that we always now have all
the orders on hand we can attend to.
"When consignment of animals
reaches us from the other side" he con-
| tinued, "thc first thing we have TO see
| TO is that the animals are able to be
moved from the ship. You think that
is strange, don't you! But it's a fact
You have doubtless noticed how diff
cult it is for you 70 walk when you first
land after long sea voyage Well, l
have seen an elephant that had been
landed too soon after stormy trip
stagger about the streets for all the
! world like a drunken sailor only OF
an alarmingly larger scale. Two days
| spent quietly aboard ship in the dock
is usually enough TO give them their
! Land legs.
The elephants and camels and other
cattle, as we call them that can walk
on their own legs, are taken at night
from the ship to the farm, so as to at
tract just as little attention as possible
! Sometimes, If the animals are in per-
fectly good condition they are re-
shipped in the course of week to the
people who ordered them If they are
Ill. however, we DO our best for them
here. That isn't much. There is little
to be done for a lion or tiger that is
c1oxxIry orriavirer ftcaIf N dontb avaont