The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-15

I AMNlHNMs
no doubt be- a ssrviceahle animal bnt n
diaicult 70 acclimatlze, and Inc 1ebra An
spite Of many attempts has not ben
domeAtioated 70 any great extent An
eaoFt y nov being mAdiB ~ meet the de-
MANN by DEMONSTRATING the elephant.
out az IN has 10 b. taken very Young and
brought up under the most iayorahle
conditions the experiments have not 40
Tar been Of much value.
u seems 90 he not 20 much the cnse
, that the African elephant cannot be
trained AZ v 10 that he cannot 10 found
IN sufficient numbers 90 Justify the at
tempt The habits Of tho African elephant
are not ahogether similar 20 thoae Of
hls brother In india. The latter has his
nome m iungles aud the nativpa know
70 a reasonable degree Of certainty where
they may find him. but tho African els-
phant lives mOre In the open country and
tomorrow be may b twenty miles away
rom where he vas seen to-day.
hesides thu African native has not
the same patience or aptitude for tram
ing that the Indian has shown. with
an Indian population In Africa aays
an English writer. the African elephant
might have been made quite az useful
a. the Asiatic elephant
u IN not the white hunter that IL feared
now ~ the destroyer Of the elephant,
but the native who kills merely for the
ivory that he can obtain The big baast,
az has already been sen. In pretty we'll
protected in most of tho European colo
hies. The work OF preservation must
take into account the native ivory hunter
and he carried on IN the untravelledand
nnfrequented parts Of the continent.
Prom the amount Of ivory that has been
imported from Africa into Europe In tlAs
last ten years u 10 estimated that about
lS,ON elephants annually have fallen VIC
tins 10 the ivory hunters
The African native ever since he haa
besn able % obtain and U.s. firearms
has killed the elephant regardless Of siAs
or sax. Ne has found that Il u the most
profitable trade that he can engage in
beoatlse ivory ilnds a ready market at .
good price. There hAvs been laws made
by some Of the colonies that no COW ela-
phants or immature bulls shall be killed,
and the minimum weight Of tunlka that
may be hartered has besn hxed according
20 the colony At from nine 20 thirty pounds:
but the great difloulty IN enforoing tins
rule h that the native has found that u
lIs cannot sell the underweight tuAks
legally he can always and some one who
hand.
The French society haa talrsn all thoss
pointl into consideration and has d.
rected lie crusade against the slaughter
In the interior % the continent, in the
valley Of the Congo. From here has besn
coming recently much Of tho oontraband
ivory ~ well a. much a. the finest that
has been finding il way into the Euro
pean markets. The killing OF the big
beast has been ruthless and without dis
elimination.
There are two ways BY which the 40
ctetv hopes 20 accomplish its purpose.
In the first place i would have an intsr-
national understanding a. 20 the weight
Of tusk legally marketable. This would
probably be fixed at something over
twelve pounds. a weight that COW tuskB
seldom exceed. In Fast Africa the mini.
mum II now ~ pounds.
All the markets are 10 b. watched.
This Il IL declared Il not such q difhcult
matter, ~ most Of the places az which
ivory n sold are well known and the
sale can be regulated. II t should become
known throughout Africa that small tllslgs
cannot be sold the killing % COWS and
young bulls would cease: for ammuni-
ton Is a matter % such importance %
the native that he IL not likely % waste
Il upon unproductive game.
The more interesting part OF the
plan IN the establishment in the Congo
basin % great sanCtuaries for tho big
beasts. reserves where they will b. ahao-
lutely free from molestation or harm.
One advantage % this plan h that u will
be many years before this particular
part 81 Africa will he in demand for colo
nists OF settlers and that Il IL a natural
sanctuary. IL n a part % the cuntinont
IN which elephants are still 70 hs found
IN great numbers on account OF the char
actsr ~ the land. well supplied with
sWamps, jungle and forests: L "a suited !
20 their life and habits.
The establishments NJ such a preserve
will entail considerable expense IN 10
care and policing. II - for this reason
that the French society has found II
necessary % appeal for support 20 the
Governments having poEsesaiOns IN
Africa. The society has received 80
much encouragement from thu different
Governments, Il IL said. that IL has already
undertaken the preliminary work and
II IL expected that within a year or two
the elephants % central Africa will h
a. well protected ~ those u any other
part Of the continent