The Savannah morning news., 1903-09-27
BY HOLLAND MIGRANT.
Copyright, 1908, by T. c. Mcclure.

age to keep the babies aliVe?" a gray
haired veteran keeper replied:
1T isn't up to us as a rule. We
leave it to the mothers when we pos
sibly can. They know more about it
than we do, and nine times out of ten
they wouldn't let us interfere, any
way if they could help it. You try
to teach a lioness or II female CHM
panzee how to mind her baby, and she
win soon let you know her views on
the subject.
Now and then, however, the mother
dies, and we have to do our stunt as
dry nurses. 1t isn't easy. First of
all, we have to win the confidence and
love of the baby, which has been
taught by it's mother to regard man.
kind with suspicion. Often the ag-
gravating little creature won't eat or
drink, and food has to be forced down
its throat.
II know keeper who brought up a
baby grizzly on the bottle. He used
to nurse 1t in his arms just like a
child, give ii it's milk and its pap, and
sing lullabies to hush it to sleep 1t
grew quite fond of him, and as soon
as it could walk it used TO follow him
about the place like dog.
The MILK Question is Serious.
"The question Of the milk is always
a serious one. 1t is extremely difficult
to get a fluid resembling the mothers
milk Mistakes are often made, and
we have to learn by experience.
1--WE use condensed milk mixed in
boiled water for baby monkeys. Its
hygienic qualities are superior to those
Of cows milk. and it is less likely to
cause distemper; dysentery and other
complaints to which monkey flesh is
heir to. Into a quart Of this milk we
squeeze the juice of two bananas
through a cheesecloth, and also some
orange Juice. Small monkeys, such as
ringtails and marmosets, are fed from
the bottle just like human babies; but
the larger monkeys are taught to drink
our Of a cup from infancy. They are
stronger than human babies, and can
lift the cup when they are very young.
Sometimes baby monkeys cannot be
induced to take any nourishment from
the keepers hands. In that case the
skin of an animal or some hairy cloth
is laid upon the floor of the cage with
several bottles Of milk under IT, Holes
are cut in the cloth, through which the
nipples of the bottles protrude. The
monkey. is then left alone, and, sooner
or later, he will take all the milk he
needs.
Mountain sheep" the keeper went
on" are raised on ordinary cows milk
which has been STEPPED in grass. Bear
cubs are fec upon milk and 'zweiback.
A great many of these cubs are caught
in Germany, when their eyes are hard
ly open, by shooting their parents; and
'zweiEack' is regarded as being the best
food for them.
''Woif cubs are also fed on 1t some
times, but they get beef tea as well
as milk. Juverile snakes are easily
provided for. All you have to do is
to crush up grasshoppers small
enough for them to swallow. Lion
cubs are raised by the bottle on milk
and beef tea"
Baby artelopes, ,solves. foxes, and
mary other animals nave been sue
oessfully raised ON the bottle by keep
ers. Some time ago a baby hippo
potan1us had TO be dry-nursed at the
Central Park Zoo in New York IT
was found that cows milk mixed with
the juice of crushed grass was the
nearest approach to the milk OF the
mother. Central Park Zoo is famous
the world over for it's success in rails
ing baby hippos. The hippopotamus
very rarely breeds In captivity, and
practically all those which have been
produced i'm recent years have come
from Central Park. They are traded
off TO Zoos in various parts Of the
world in exchange for other animals.
The TOO-FOnd Mothers.
'You talk as II you often had TO dry
nurse these babies. DO the mothers die
so frequently" the keeper who had
given all this Information was asked.
mo, but we often have to take the
babies away from their mothers he
replied. "As ] said, we always leave
them when we can: but sometimes the
mothers do their best 20 kill their ba-
bies through oyer-kindness, ana some
times-thOugh much more rarely
through neglect
Last winter a grizzly bear cub died
through exposure 10 the cold. It's
mother went 10 her den and slept,
leaving the poor little thing outside.