Bisbee daily review., 1911-02-07
ANTELOPE ARE RECE|VEDAT
 REFUGE

Game Warden Rush of the Wichita Game Refuge in the state of Okla homa. has informed the department Of Agriculture of the receipt in gooc condition of head of antelope, which came from the national herd in the Yellow stone park. Through the generosity of members Of the Boone and Crockett club of New York. funds were furnished for cap turing and transporting these ani- mals from Wyoming to Oklahoma The news of the arrival of the an- telope at their destination has been received with satisfaction by the de partment officials. who are much in- terested in the attempt 10 preserve this Interesting game animal
 The pronghorned antelope is un- like any other antelope on the face of the earth, and has so many pc cuiiarities that naturalists class it in a family by itself Formerly eX- isting by thousands on our Western plains. it has now been so reduced in numbers that its absolute eXtinc- ton is certain in the very near fu- ture unless protection is given 10 the few remaining II does not do well east of the Mississippi river. and can not be successfully bred in captivity: but it thrives if allowed to roam practically free within large en- closures and under conditions closely approaching the natural ones
 In 1908 the biological survey es- timated that the total number of an teiope in the United States has been reduced to 1T.000. Of these about 10000 were in Montana, Wyoming and the Yellowsone National park, and the remaining 1000 were distrib- uted in twelve other states.
 On the Wichita Game Refuge it Is hoped that the antelope win find themselves in surroundings suited to their increase. The Wichita is really a national forest, and Game Warden Rush acts as it's supervisor and at tends to all the business involved in it's administration But on the Wich- ita. which was set aside by act of congress as national game refuge because of it's especial suitability to act as a breeding place for the wild creatures Of the plains and lower Rocky Mountain regions, the import ance Of the game work has over shadowed the ordinary uses of na- tional forest. There are over 150 national forests, but only two na- tional game refuges
 This does not mean that outside of these refuges the game on the national forests is not protected, for the national forest officers are uni formIy instructed 10 see that the game laws of the various states are observed on their forests, in 50 far as they can do this in justice to their .r- r.F HsF fcers are regularly appointed deputy game wardens. and it is the policy of the department of agriculture to encourage their acting in this ca pacity when they can do so without prejudice to their work as forest officers. They are not, however, ex- peeted to go of the forests in order to enforce the game laws of the states, nor can they make enforce ment of game laws their principal occupation. The work of a forest officer in looking after Uncle Sam s affairs generally insures his being a pretty busy man, and what he does in enforcing game laws can only be incidental to selling timber, protect ing the forests from fires, looking after grazing matters, and respond ing to the various other calls which use of the forests by the public in wolves.
 Ordinarily, game matters pertain to the states, and not to the national government The state prescribes when and under what conditions game may be killed If it desires tC prohibit the killing of game in cer tain parts of the state, in order that the game may breed there, and these parts of the states are within the national forests, the government co-operates with the state to carry out the law. Such cooperation may require the closing of fixed areas o the national forests to grazing, fol when big game becomes plentiful I must have a sufficient foOu suppl. left on the range to carry 1t thrcugl the winter. or it will succumb fol lack of sustenance. If the range ii fully utilized by cattle and sheel during the summer. elk and dee will fare hardly in the winter.
 In the Wichita and the Grand Can yon game refuges the governmen has not left the matter of caring fO game protection wholly to the states but has established national reserva tiOns on which an attempt will b nAduG Ly blEta -cA1S- At " A-AtA-i is notable for the fact that 1t ha small herd of buffalo upon it which the game warden regards 8 the apple of his eye. They were do mated by the American Bison sOci ety and shipped from the New Yorl Geological garden in 1908. The then numbered fifteen, and hay since been increased by the additio of 10 calves; two of the origina herd, however, died in the. first year To the buffaloes are now added tn antelope.
 The antelope were shipped froT Yellowstone Park, and have bee liberated in one of the buffalo yard which had been prepared for then They will be given more and be- ter range as soon as a proper wir enclosure can be made. Two at ditional head are expected to follo' the eight already received. Sine the antelope. once so abundant O the plains, is in serious danger c