Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-05-05

AM NlMAL Il CATCH TKS HAN II NE hft +
TAKRN ADULT GIRAFFE ONE OF
MOST DIFFICULT BEAST TO
CAPTURE.
The capturing ofswild beasts for ex.
hibition purposes furnishes ap employ
ment at once lucrative and exciting
A giraffe is worth from $1,000 to $40,
600, and full grown gorilla would bt
worth a fabulous sum. HippOpOtamuse'
are always quoted at high prices, bu
the difficulty in capturing these ami
mails accounts for the high prices OBJ
talnabIe.
The giraffe is Que of the most diff.
ficult animals to bring into captivity,
and when one falls into the trappers
hands there is great rejoicing. for there
is always a ready market for these anl
mails in the geological gardens of the
world. 1t is highly nervons creature
and, besides being fleet of foot, it has
q keen sense of hearing, so that it gen
orally succeeds in eluding it's pursuers.
The method used in the giraffe's cap
ture is to employ a cOntrivance oil
three ropes weighted at the ends. The
hunter rides as near as possible to his
prey, creeps closer and then throws
the ropes in such way that they wind
about the legs of the giraffe. He then
rides up and secures him. He often
spends days and even weeks in chasing
one of these flying animals and is some
times forced to abandon the hunt
ELEPHANTS EASY TO CAPTURE.
Every one IS familiar with the meth
DDS of capturing the elephant, for
there is something picturesque in both
the keddah and the decoy methods, but
the animal is bad tempered and even
the skilled hunter must use the utmost
caution after the capture is effected.
1t Is said that no gorilla has ever been
| captured alive after he was full grown.
| Certainly no sane man would attempt
such feat. They fear nothing, which
makes them terrible foes, and even
when mortally wounded they show
agility, strength and ferocity which are
astonishing.
On the other hand, all other apes are
patheticalIy easy to capture. The most
popular method is for trapper to seat
himself where he is sure to be observ.
ed by these creatures and pretend to
drink from bottle crude spirits.
When be is sure that he has been Oh
served he leaves the bottle and goes
away.
The moment his back is turned the
monkeys swarm to appease their curl
osity concerning the contents of that
bottle. They like the taste of the
spirits and quarrel among themselves
for it till the bottle has been emptied. |
They are soon overcome by the intexi |
cant and the trapper returns and gath |
ers them up.
LIONS SHARED IN A PIT.
Lions and tigers are often caught rs
cubs, as this is less dangerous and less |
difficult than the capture of the full
grown animals. The trapping is al
ways done at night, hole being dug |
in the ground some twenty feet in |
diameter and two or three feet deep. |
Over this is stretched a strong net, hid |
den by bushes and leaves. and having |
round its edge strong elastic band.
AS soon as the animal walks into the |
net and sipks into the hole the elastic |
band is liberated and the net closes |
round the animal
Though boa constructors would seem |
difficult to capture because of their fe-
rocity, it is. nevertheless, compare
lively easy. They are made victims of |
their greed for food. A tempting bait |
in the form of a young deer or antelope |
the natives of India have been known
to use their infants for the purpOse) is
laid in a locality known to be infested
with serpents.
The trapper returns from time to
time till the bait is found to have been
eaten. Then he knows bis quarry is az
good as taken, for somewhere near by
the serpent is lying sleeping off the ef-
fects of the MISUNDERSTANDING.