The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-26
LASS0ING ZEBRAS.
Cowboy Methods of Capturing the
Young to Train Them for Work.
New York SIM

New York Sum-
The government of East Africa is InucI
pleased with the first results of its effort:
10 train zebras 10 domestic service Great
pains have been taken for two years witt
the education of five spans Of these ami
mails, and they have finally been brought
to a state of perfect dOeility. and are now
making a good record in the draft service
1t is believed in East Africa that the
practicability OF making the zebra DO the
work of the horse and the OK has beer
demonstrated. If it were possible, the
government would rapidly push the worh
of tanning Zebras and breaking them Il
harness, but, unfortunately, men who
have the peculiar talent and liking for the
work are few, and so zebra tanning goes
on slowly
a man named Besser in the German
service, is a sort OF genius in his line
He has his own ideas as to the best way
to make d useful servant of the zebra, and
the government lets him follow his bent
Besser does not agree with Mr.. voT
Sehellendort, the pioneer zebra tanner ol
the colony, that the best way TO catcs
them is to run the animals into a cora
and keep them prisoners. gradually elm
mating those that are least promising
Besser wants nothing to do with any OF
the animals excepting those he proposes
to tame, and these are the foals a few
weeks old He is catching them with q
lasso in western cowboy fashion, and he
is the only man in the big colony who
seems able to do it.
II is not easy TO do. Besser has tough
fleet horse that served in the cavalry
during the Boer war and has been trained
WItL the bride on his neck, his direction
guided by the SWerving of his master
body to the right or left. This horse is
the zebra chaser.
1t is BesSer's practice to get into the
edge of some grove which herds of ZebraS
are likely to approach while grazing. and
from this cover he suddenly rushes or
horseback. The Deutsche Ostarfikan.
III -.
the mothers will not abandon their foals
but collecting around them, urge then
on as rapidly as possible, and retreat with
them in the center
Now Besser's troubles begin. 1t is not
easy to lasso one of the young. because
they are much smaller than any of tbs
surrounding animals, and. to aggravaJC
the situation. the lords of the herd. en-
ragged by this attack on its weaker mem
bers and, perhaps. embOldened by The
sight of the big horse. to whom they may
mpute the trouble without observing the
strange animal astride him, come bach
to bite and kick the horse. He naturally
responds in kind, at some peril to his
rider, who. intent upon his game, was
once endorsed by this proceeding.
Besser since that accident has bee
ready to meet the emergency with shot
or two from his revolver. which scatterS
the males in wild flight. Sometimes he
fails to capture colt, but he IS usually
successful, and has now a fine herd OF
young zebras, whose training begins frorl
the day OF their capture.
He says il does not take very long "a
win their entire confidence by firm but
kind treatment. and the task grew easier
when he was able to turn new animals
among those whom he had come to handle
and fondIe as ne might a dog. He sue
ceeds. evidently, because he is born AMI
NAL trainer They learn TO feed from his
hand or basket. ard as their training adj
vances. he leads them by a halter. bits
them. walks them around with harness on
their backs. and finally gives them LITTLE
loads TO pull. None of his herd is yet
large enough for actual service.
Besser is not only enthusiastic over the
practica bility of making the zebra wors
animal but ne is also sanguine that the
crossing of zebras and asses. now in the
experimental stage. will result in work
animal whose usefulness will not be con-
fined TO Africa.