St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-05-29
IS IT A zwEBRAGRAFFE
ROAMING AROUND
WASHINGTON?

For some weeks past the readers
of the Times-Democrat have been
kept advised Of the antics of an I'M
classified wild animal which has been
adding much to the excitement of
living in st. Charles parish, this state,
and its vicinage. This animal could
not be classified by the local scien-
fists, who however, caught only oc-
casional glimpses at him. All how
ever, agree to two or three things
about the animal. He was carnivor-
Gus, as appeared from his carriage
as appeared from the fragments Of
sheep which were found mornings
after his visitations. Also he was
impervious to bullets, the youth and
sometime the age of the parish haV-
ing shot at him innumerable times,
only to see him scamper away APP
~parently unhurt. The %unscientifc
mind can easily explain this phenom-
enon on the hypothesis that the bull
let's few wide, but the hunters Of the
parish are not accustomed to missing
their mark, and too many Of them
drew the bead on the beast to admit
of any doubt that he was hit. There
are some very creditabIe snapshots
in St. Charles parish, as some former
residents of that parish could testify,
were they not deceased. The beast
was, therefore, bullet proof.
1t is something more than a coin
cidence surely that no sooner had the
animal ceased to excite the sporting
blood of Hahnville than there should
appear on the banks Of the Cour-
tableau, in the staid and ancient city
of Washington, a strange animal said
to somewhat resemble a wolf and
which subsists on dogs. We have no
evidence that the animal is the one
from st. Charles except that he is
carnivorous and that he is also bullet
proof. He has been shot at in Wash
ington and the bullets did no APP
parent hurt. The snapshot Of st.
Landry is no more to be despised
than his brother Of ST. Charles, and
We can safely take it for granted that
the shots aimed at him in Washing
ton went true. The st. Landry an
imal is described, vide a special dis
patch published yesterday, as "black,
with head and ears resembling q
wolf, short hair on the body and
bushy tail, about the size of a large
dog" There is doubt, it appears,
whether the tail or the entire animal
is the size Of a large dog"
It is for the student of natural
history to determine defnately the
exact nature and name Of the animal,
of course but the laymen can con-
lecture. There is but one animal,
so far as our knowledge goes, that is
absolutely bullet proof and that is
the zebragraffe, said to have been
discovered and captured by Mr..
Roosevelt in Africa. This animal is
described as resembling both a zebra
and giraffe, and some has named him
a zebragrafe. He is evidently i'm
peryious to bullets or the ex-Presidenl
would have shot, not captured, him,
The Louisiana animal is unlike any
anything ever seen before, and by
the process of elimination is undoubt-
eddy a zebragraffe. The description
given above, it is true, does moi
closely resemble that Of either Z
zebra or giraffe, but the animal has
been yariously described by persons
who have seen him, the only thing;
absolutely certain about him being
that he is carnivorous, nocturnal and
bullet proof. Il those who have seer
him deny that he is q zebragrafFe vii
they kindly give him a name and de
monstrate the incorrectness of oul
conjecture7 Mere denial amounts tc
nothing. IF the animal is not the
zebragraffe, what then is it?
It is something Of a joke on The
ex-President that he should have
journeyed all the way to Africa t.
discover an animal which was already
in Louisiana. Perhaps the species
found in this State was brought oyer
as a pet or q mascot BY some prince
of the Dark Continent III Gle slave
trading days, and its habits being
nocturnal, it has remained under
cover since ia the luxuriant under
brush.