The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-02-04
GOVERNMENT INTRODUCES
ANTELOPE INTO OKLAHOMA
Were Sent There from the National
Herd in Yellowstone Park, Through
New York Club.


den Rush OF the Wichita game refuge il
the state OF Oklahoma has informed the
department Of agriculture Of the receipt
in good condition Of eight head oil ante
| lope, which came from the national herd
in the Yellowstone park. Through the
generosity OF members OF the Boone and
! Crockett club of New York, funds were
furnished for capturing and transporting
these animals from Wyoming to Okla.
homa The news OF the arrival of the
antelope at their destination has been
received with great satisfaction by the
department officials, who are much in
/ terested ia the attempt TO preserve this
interesting game animal.
The prong horned antelope ii unlike
any other antelope on the face OF the
earth, and has so many peculiarities that
naturalists class il in family by itself.
4 Formerly existing by thousands on our
western plains, II has now been so re-.
duced in numbers that its absolute ex-
tinction is certain in the very near fu-
ture unless protection is given 10 the
few remaining. III does not do we'll east
of the Mississippi river and cannot be
successfully bred IN captiyityi but it
thrives if allowed TO roam practically
| free within large enclosures and under
conditions closely approaching the nat.
| ural ones
| In zoos the biological survey estimated
that the total number Of antelope in the
United States had been reduced to 1900.
Of these about 10000 were in Montana,
| Wyoming and the Yellowstone national
park, and the remaining 1000 we're dis
/ trlbuted in II other states
| On the Wichita game refuge, ii is
hoped that the antelope viii find them
selves in surroundings suited to their
increase, The Wichita is really nation
al forest, and Game Warden Rush acts
as its supervisor and attends TO all the
business involved ii the administration
But on the Wichita, which was set aside
by act OF Congress az national game
refuge, because Of its especial suitability
to act as breeding place for the wild
creatures Of the plains and lower Rocky
mountain regions, the Importance OF the
game work has oyershadowed the ordi-
nary uses Of national forest. There
are over $50 national forests, but only
two national game refugees.
This does not mean that outside of
! those refugees the game on the national
forests is not protected, for the national
forest officers are uniformly instructed
to see that the game laws Of tile various
states are observed on their forests. in so
far as they can do this III justice to
their other duties. Many OF The forest
officers are regularly appointed deputy
state game wafdens, and 1t is the policy
OF the department Of agriculture to en-
courage their acting in this capacity
when they can Do 50 without prejudice
to their work as forest officers They
are not. however expected to go of the
forests in order to enforce the game laws
OF the states, nor can they make en-
forcement Of game laws their principal
occupation The work OF forest officer
in looking after Uncle Sans affairs gen
orally iusures his being pretty busy
man, and what he does III enforcing game
laws can only be incidental to selling
timber, protecting the forests from fires,
looking after grazing matters and re-.
spending to the various other calls which
use Of the forests by the public involves.
Ordinarily, game matters pertain to
the states, and not to the national gov.
ernment The state preseribes when and
under what conditions game may be
killed II it desires TO prohibit the kill
ing 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 states to carry out
the law. Such cooperation may require
the closing of fixed areas of the national
forests to grazing, for when big game
becomes plentiful it must have a suffi-
Gent food supply left on the range to
carry it through the winter, or it win
suecumb for lack of sustenance. If the
range is fully utilized by cattle and
sheep during the summer. elk and deer
will fare hardly in the winter
In the Wichita and the Grand Canyon
game refugees the government has not
left the matter of caring for game pro.
lection wholly to the states, but has es.
tablshed national reservations on which
an attempt win be made to breed game.
The Wichita is notable for the fact that
ii has a small herd of buffalo upon Il.
which the game warden regards as the
apple of his eve. They were donated
by the American Bison society and
shipped from the New York Geological
garden in 1905 They then numbered Is. /
and have since been increased by the ad- /
dition of 10 calves; two OF the original
herd, however. died in the first wear.
To the buffaloes are now added the
antelope.
The antelope were shipped from Vel. /
lOwstOne park, and have been liberated /
in one of the buffalo yards which had
been prepared for them. They will be /
given more and better range as soon as
a proper wire enclosure can be made. /
Two additional head are expected to fol- /
low the eight already received. Since /
the antelope, once 50 abundant on the 4
plains, Is in serious danger Of entire az. /
tinction, this attempt to establish the /
species on the Wichita game preserve
viii be watched with interest BIZ all who |
wish to see our native wild animals riv-l
On q chance 70 perpetuate themselves.
though surrounded by civilization