The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-02-11
To PRESERVE
THE ANTELOPE
ASSOCIATED Press Special by Mail.

ASSOCIATED Press Special by Mail.
WASHINGTON, Feb 3.-Game
Warden Rush, of the Wichita Game
Refuge in the State of Oklahoma, has
Informed the Department of Agricul-
ture of the receipt in good condition
of eight head of antelope, which came
from the National herd in the Vel.
lowstone Park. Through the gener.
osity of members of the Boone and
Crockett Club of New York, funds
were furnished for capturing and
transporting those animals from wy
oming to Oklahoma. The news of the
arrival of the antelope at their des-
tination has been received with sat.
isfaction by the Department officials,
who are much interested in the at
tempt to preserve this Interesting
game animal.
The pronghorned antelope is I'M
like any other antelope on the face OF
the earth, and has so many peculiar
tiles that naturalists class it in a
family by itself. Formerly existing
by thousands on our open Western
plains, it has now been so reduced in
numbers that its absolute extinction
is certain in the very near future un-
less protection is given to the few re.
naming. 1t does not do we'll east of
the Mississippi River, and can not be
successfully bred in captivity, but it
thrives if allowed to roam practically
free within large enclosures and un.
der conditions closely approaching the
natural ones.
In 1908 the Biological Survey es-
timated that the total number of an.
telope in the United States had been
reduced to 10000. OF these about
10000 were in Montana, Wyoming
and the Yellowstone National Park
and the remaiig 1000 were distributed
in twelve other States.
On the Wichita Game Refuge it is
hoped that the. antelope will find
themselves in surroundings suited TO
their increase. The Wichita is really
National Forest, and Game Warden
Rush acts as it's supervisor and at.
tends to all the business involved in
its administration. But on the Wich-
tia, which was set aside by Act OF
Congress as a National Game Refuge
because of its especial suitability to act
as a breeding place for the wild crea-
lures of the plains and lower Rocky
Mountain regions, the Importance of.
the game work has overshadowed the
ordinary uses of a National Forest.
There are over $50 National Forests,
but only two National Game Refug-
es.
This does not mean that outside of
those refugees the game on the Ma
tional Forests is not protected for
the National Forest officers are uni
formly instructed to see that the
game laws of the various States are
observed on their Forests, in so far
as they can do this in justice to their
other duties, Many of the Forest OF
ficers are regularly appointed Deputy
State Wardens, and it is the policy of
the Department of Agriculture to en-
courage their acting in this capacity |
when they can do so without prejudice |
to their work as Forest officers. They |
are not, however, expected to go off
game laws of the States, nor can they
make enforcement of game laws their
principal occupation. The work of a
Forest officer in looking after Uncle
Sans affairs generally insures mis-
being a pretty busy man, and what
he does in enforcing game laws can
only be incidental to selling timber,
the forests from fires
looking after grazing matters, and re-
spending to the various other calls
which use of the forests by the pub
lie involves.
Ordinarily, game matters pertain to
he States, and not to the National
Government. The State prescribesl
when and under what conditions game
may be killed. If 1t desires to pro-
libit the killing of game in certain
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
he law, Such cooperation may re-
Iuire the closing of fixed areas Of
he National Forests to grazing. for
when big game becomes plentiful It
must have a sufficient food supply left
On the range to carry it through the
winter, or it will succumb for lack