The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-01-03
EXTINCTION OF WILD ANIMALS.
Buffalo, Elephant, Lions. Giraffe and
 Others Passing Away.

Buffalo, Elephant, Lions, Giraffe and Others Passing Away.
 Recently published transactions from the German writings of c. B. Schillings,
 the noted African traveller and animal photographer, have been intreesting a
 good many people in this country. MT. Schillings has an enthusiasm for this
 sort of scientific investigation that has carried him to daring lengths ip the
 achievement of his purpose. He real- izes that the larger animals of Africa the elephant, the lion, the giraffe, etc. are rapidly becoming extinct; that in q few more generations the world will know them only as 1t now knows the dodo; and for htis reason hehas under- taken to make an accurate and sclen- | tific record of their existence in their native habitat. To do this he has gone into the widest parts of the dark con- | tinent and photographed these animals
 in their wild state, both at night by
 means of flash light, and in daytime with such sun exposures as he has been able to obtain. His work has been ex-
 cellently done, and the record Is inter esting to us, and will be even moreso to
 those who come after us.
 And yet with all his scientific enthu-
 siasm it seems that Mir. Schilligs could not always resist the temptation to
 take shot at these unsuspecting
 beasts which were unknowingly ex-
 posed to him in his covert. On one oc-
 cassion he even killed four lions In one day. This, we are afraid, was killing for the mere sake of killing-whica iJ the slaughter that Is now making ex- tinct some of natur's most remarkable productions.
 With it's economical usefulness 1t is likely that the elephant will, in the
 course of time, take the status of the camel in the Orient, and never become extinct. But the others are doomed The giraffes are almost gone, the rhinoceros and the river horse" are
 becoming rare, and lions grow scarcer
 year by year. And this is largely be-
 cause of killing for sport" Some of these animals, to besure, are danger
 ous, but Africa Is large place. Under the fair and undisturbed conditions they live to themselves and injure no
 one; man goes into their territory,
 slaughter-bent, a good deal oftener
 than the wild animals come to him.
 What the purpose of the existence of
 all these animals is we may not know,
 but in the economy of nature it is rea-
 sonable to assume that there is some
 purpose. And from this point of view their slaughter is lamentabie In the
 course of long enough time no doubt they will become extinct through the
 mere changing of conditions As the settlements of men encroach more and
 more on their native fastnesses, they will deteiorate and lesson in numbers just as the Indians have through lack
 of place to live, lack of their natural
 sustenance and the increasing stress Of the struggle for existence. But in
 such a place as Africa these conditions are a long way off. Meantime is it not worth while to give the animals-the real Afric autocthons-a chance to live what is probably their allotted time on
 earth in such place as their good be- havior will permit? The same argu- ment can be made in favor of the bears and bobcats of our own Western
 States. The slaughter of the buffalo teaches us some thing,-Indianapolis News.