The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-03-23

WASHINGTON. MdEcn -O.-Ldine W ar
den Rush of the Wichita game refuge
in the state of Oklahoma. has inform
ed the department of agriculture of
the receipt in good condition of eight
head of antelope, 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 an
imals from Wyoming TO Oklahoma.
The news of the arrival of the ante
lope al 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 prong horned antelope is unlike
any other antelope on the face OF the
earth, and has so many peculiarites
that naturalists class it in a family by
itself. Formerly existing by thous-
ands on our open western plains. II
has now been SO reduced in numbers
that its absolute extinction is certain
in the very near future unles protec-
does not do so we'll east of the Mis-
sissippi river and can not be success
fully bred in captivity: but it thriyes
if allowed to roam practically free
within large enclosures and under
conditions closely approaching the
natural ones.
In 1908 the biological survey esti-
mated that the total number of ante
lope in the United States had been re-
600 We're in Montana, Wyoming and
the Yellowstone National park. and
the remaining 1000 were distributed
in twelve other states.
On the Wichita game refuge II is
hoped that the antelope will find them
selves in surroundings suited to their
increase. The Wichita is really ma
tional forest and Game Warden Rush
acts as it's supervisor and attends to
all the business involved in its admin
istration But on the Wichita, which
was set aside by act of congress as d
national game refuge because of its
especial suitability to act as breed
ing place for the wild creatures of the
plains and lower Rocky Mountain re-
gions, the importance of the game
work has overshadOwed the ordinary
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 nation
al forests is not protected, Tor the ma
tional forest officers are uniformly IN
structed to see that the game laws OF
the various states are observed on
their forests, in so far as they can dc
this in Justice to their other duties
Many of the forest officers are regu
larly appointed deputy state game
wardens. and it is the policy of the de
partment of agriculture to encourag &c
their acting in this capacity when they
can do so without prejudice to theii
work as forest officers. They are moi
however expected to 20 off the forests
in order to enforce the game laws OF
the states, nor can they make enforce
ment of game laws their principal oc
cupation. The work of forest ofh
Ger in looking after Uncle Sans af
! fairs generally insures his being q
pretty busy man. and what he does II
enforcing game laws can only be in
cidental to selling timber, protecting
the forests from fires, looking after
grazing matters, and responding tC
the various calls which use of the for
ests by the public involves.
Ordinarily, game matters pertain tt
the states, and not to the nationa
government. The state prescribes
when and under what conditions game
may be killed II it. desires to prohib
/ it the killing of game in certain parts
+ of the state in order that the game
may breed there, and these parts o.
the states are within the national for
/ ests, the government cOOperateS viii
| the state to carry out the law. Such
! cooperation may require the closlns
of fixed areas of the national forests tt
grazing, for when big game becomes
plentiful it must have sufficient foot
/ supply left on the range to carry i
through the winter, Or it will succuml
1 for lack of sustenance. If the range
is fully utilized by cattle and sheer
during the summer, elk and deer viii
fare hardly in the winter.
! In the Wichita and Grand Canyon
game refugees the government has no
left the matter of caring for game pro
! lection wholly TO the states but ha:
/ established national game reserva
tions on which an attempt will b,