The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-04
THE PET or THE ZOO.
,, Rear a Playful and Happy
Inmate.

-, +be washington Star.
49,. Kodiak bear at the National Aoo
! ~ an established in his new incios-
Nas N the park, and is one OF the nap
us haars imaginable. He now mas
l,.n+v of space in which to move apou'
nice large pool of water IN "hlcn
S''N -aorr himself, instead of being
ed M in an eight-by-ten cage als
Nome is located on the brow OF
In eouth of the lion house and
,..,n.das den built of granite WHICH
NC into an Enclosure about forty by
of., faat in dimensions. The floors Oh
~. t,cIosure and den are OF concrete,
obout the entrance of the den sew
..J large boulders are set in the floor
NON which bruin may climb when he
We fancy for landscape gazing. A
80, eight feet deep and twelve feet in
siorneter is located in the center or the
,ard and he has already learned TO
swim in it.
The Kodiak bear changed his name
80 short while ago. 1t used to be
al island. situated in Alaska strait,
70 which his species is native. The ma
tionaI board OF geographic names, in
.ha course of it's resources, discovered
Not Kadiak was the proper name of
Tho island. and consequently the bear
should bear that name. So IN 1892 the
snalline was changed in accordance
nStb the decree of the board. 1t was
found to be impossible, however, to
change the custom of the natives and
hunters of the Far Northwest, who
from time immemorial had used the
word Kodiak in referring to the island
and the bear, and finally the decision
OF the board was reversed and the
original spelling made official.
The Zoo bear, although he weighs 500
pounds or morei is yet regarded as a
cub, being q little over two years old.
He was captured by a party of hunt
ers on the mainland of Alaska oppo-
site Kodiak Island in May. 1901, being
then about two months old and weigh
ing eighteen pounds. When weighed
again in January, 1902, at Washington,
he tipped the scales at $50 pounds, and.
in June this year he weighed $50
pounds. He is one of the best-natured
bears in the National Zoo. and anuseS
the children greatly by galloping play
fully around his Enclosure with the ac-
ton of a clumsy pup, though his size
and strength are enormous.
He is more than usually active just
before feeding time, and when the keep
ers bring his food he bellows out MS
appreciation of their attention with
full throaty voice. He is greatly de-
lighted when Keeper Blackburn shoves
the end of a pole or heavy stick
through the bars and he grasps it with
his paws in the playful manner of a
kitten One of the photos pictures him
as he is thus playing with a stick held
by MIR. Blackburn and projecting into
the Enclosure at about the hight a man
can reach with his hands. For a short
while he was allowed to have a heavy
pole to play with, but occasionally he
would get it wedged between the bars,
and with his tremendous power bend
and twist them from their positions. He
is soon to have one with large balls
on the ends which he may handle with
out danger of getting it Wedged be-
tween the bars.
Our old friend Dunk" also in new
quarters now receives visitors in his
delightful back yard. He is enjoying
plenty of sunshine and fresh air, and
can take a stroll whenever he feels in
walking humor. An elephantine bath
tub of heavy masonry is built in one
corner of his yard, and when the wealth
er is warm enough Dunk may enjoy
one Of the greatest delights of jungle
ife-the bath
Dunks old house is being fitted up
with cages where some of the smaller
ANIMALS may be placed next winter.
Inc cages are arranged in a semi-cir-
cle IN the northern portion of the build
Ing.