The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-08-05
WILD BEASTS WORTH FABULOUS AMOUNTS

The capturing of wild beasts for
exhibition purposes furnishes an
employment at once lucrative and
exciting. A giraffe is worth from
S.. 900 to $4,000. and a full grown
gorilla would be worth fabulous sum.
Hippopotami are always quoted at
high prices. but the difficulty in cap
turing these animals accounts for the
high prices obtainable.
The giraffe is one of the most diff
cult animals to bring into captivity,
and when one falls into the trappers'
hands there is always great rejoicing,
for there is always a ready market
for these animals in the geological
gardens of the world. It is highly
nervous creature, and besides being
fleet of foot it has a keen sense of
hearing, so that it generally succeeds
in eluding its pursuers. The method
used in the giraffe's capture is to en-
ploy contrivance of 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 a way that they wind
about the legs of the giraffe. He rides
up and secures him. Heloften spends
days and even weeks in chasing one
of these flying animals and is some
times forced to abandon the hunt.
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 a skill
ed hunter must use the utmost cau-
tion 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 pathetically easy to capture. The
most popular method is for trapper
to seat himself where he is sure to be
observed by these creatures and pre-
tend to drink from bottle of crude
spirits. When he is sure that he has
been observed he leaves the bottle and
goes away. The moment his back is
turned the monkeys swarm to appease
their curiosity concerning the contents
of that bottle. They like the taste OF
the spirits and quarrel among them
selves for it till the bottle has been
emptied. They are soon overcome by
the intoxicant and the trapper returns
and gathers them up.
Lions and tigers are often caught
as cubs, as this is less dangerous and
less difficult than the capture of full
grown animals. The trapping is al
ways done at night, hole being dug
in the ground some twenty feet in
diameter and some two or three feet
deep. Over this is-stretched strong
net, hidden by bushes and leaves, and
having round its edge strong elastic
band. As soon as the animal walks
into the net and sinks into the hole
the elastic band is liberated and the
net closes around him.
Though boa constructors would
seem difficult to capture because of
their ferocity, it is, nevertheless,
comparatively 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 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 his quarry is
as good as taken, for somewhere near
by the serpentis lying sleeping off the
effects of the antelope.