East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-06-01
Wild Animals Increasing
in National Park

The following interesting account
of game animals IN the Yellowstone,
National Park, is taken from "Won-
derland," the Northern Pacific book
let written by Olin d. Wheeler. the
historian and descriptive writer:
with each succeeding year the wild
animals i'm the park become a more
important feature of it, Here is real
ly the only place where the public in
general can see. unhampered ana
gratis. the animals of the forest and
the wilds in their natural state. 1t
has required years of experience for
the elk. deer, untelopes and mountain
sheep to become acquainted with the
fact in anything like large numbers,
that in Yellowstone Park man is not
evilly disposed toward them. The
bears learned this long ago and have
turned the knowledge to good account,
as their fat bodies and sleek, shining
coats abundantly testify.
/ Now the other animals evince less
and less timidty and it is a most de-
lectable sight, as the coaches drive
| along, to see an elk or two shaking
their thirst in the stream. or several
deer quietly feeding in the woods near
the road and so unconcernedly as to
scarcely notice the passing procession.
The efforts to increase the buffalo
herd by outside purchases and to cor
raj them where they can be fed and
protected, is meeting with success.
| They are corralled i'm a large pasture
at Mammoth Hot Springs and appear
to take kindly to the situation. The
new herd was purchased in the fall
of 1902 and i'm exactly two years II
had lost but two and had gained 20
net gain of Is and increasing the
herd to 81. OF the increase II We're
by natural means and three were
young calves caught on the range OF
the wild herd and brought to the cor
raj pasture.
There are between 1000 and 120C
antelopes in the park. most of them
living on and around Mount Everts
near Mammoth Hot Springs From
100 to 200 mountain sheep are sup
posed also to have their habitat or
Mount Everets. Both sheep and an.
telopes are more wary than the othei
animals ana disappear in the spring
and just where the sheep pass theii
summer vacation Is not definitely
| known.
In the fall, winter and spring botf
antelopos and sheep are found II
large numbers on the hills and flat
about Gardiner and Mammoth Ho
Springs. To some extent they are fee
hay by the authorities at Fort Vel
lowstone. which serves to render then
less timorous and to domesticate then
in some degree.
The deer are increasing in numbe
and the beautiful creatures are sect
more and more each year along tht
roads and around the hotels. Dur
ing the fall, winter and spring, like tn
sheep and antelopes, they become
very familiar feature of the hills ant
parade ground at Fort Yellowstone
or Mammoth Hot Springs.
1t is the elk, however, that thronl
the park in countless numbers, ant
during the summer they are not in
frequently seen by the tourists from
the coaches. They seclude themselve
more or less, however, in the valley
and timber. / have found them b
hundreds around Shoshone lake an
in Hayden valley, and there are band
of them that frequent the upper part
of Mount Washburn and Dunrave
peak. Those who wish to see larg
r bodies of elk, young and old, ca
r easily do so by riding on horsebac
% few miles up Alum creek, fror
II either the Grand canyon or the Vel
@ lowstone Lake hotel.
f The bears are much in evidenc
: near the hotels and require no exer
]. ton, beyond a walk of a few rods b
g tourists, to see them. Any evenin
e or morning, with rare exceptions
h from one to 20 or more may be see
a eating from the refuse piles of tn
hotels.