Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-08
Despite Captivity, Animals
Could Forage Own Food

VHE wild animals confined at
the Washington Zoo enjoy
carefree existence. relieved
from housekeeping worries.
secure in the knowledge that
the family larder will ever be filled
from supplies which. though provided
by their natural and most hated OF all
enemies. man, nevertheless are ever
plenteous. appetizing and filling. In
variably. when one visits them. they
seem either to be just going to sleep or
just coming out Of one.
"A gOodly proportion Of them have
never known any other life save that
bounded by the four steel-barred walls
of their cages; they were born in cap
tivity, and the smell OF the wilds OF
their forefathers and the early seasonal
calls to the gathering at the sweet
water are to them unknown expert
ences.
1t might seem that their self-sup-
porting prowess has been lost-that
outside of their cages and away from
the attendants who feed them on
choicest animal tidbits they wound be
dazed and practically helpless. But
4
examples and for the instinct OF scores
of generations of wildness is neces-
sarily stronger than few brief years
Of captivity.
but that has inherited and retains the
crafty cunning of his forebears; not
one but that possesses far back In his
animal brain scores Of jungle ways OF
| they keep themselves in constant train
ing. Big, clumsy Bruin, for instance,
prefers sweeping the fish his attendant
gives him into the little pond intended
for his bath, and then scooping them
out instead of eating them in the first
place.
Sly Reynard might easily pounce on
the rabbit placed in his cage and de-
do it, He prefers to let it run franti-
cally around. vainly seeking some ave-
nue. of escape, while he watches 1T
craftily. Then probably he will devote
several minutes in stalking it before
finally putting it out Of its misery and
into his rapacious stomach.
The Canadian pine marten vastly
prefers to have it's food placed in the
! hollow OF a tree, where he must climb
! and work for it, to having it merely
| thrown in to him to be picked up from
| the ground.
The big black bears who now live at
the Zoo, but whose native habitat is
the Maine woods, know well, for all
that they are captives. how to strike
for some creek where the fishing Is
good Nor would any one Of them care
whether they fished in shallow water
or in deep. They know competent
courses of procedure in each. There is
an excellent description of the way a
bear goes about his fishing in shallow
water. related by an eyewitness in an
old number of the American Naturalist
cit was early fall" says the writer.
II was walking through thick swamp
in the Maine woods, when ] came upon
a very large bear. lying fiat along
log across a shallow brook. He was So
deeply interested in his work that he
Ibid not notice my approach.
There was large hole through the
log on which he lay. He thrust his
| forearm through this held his open
paw in the water and waited for the
| fish to gather around and into 1T. When
| 1T was filled he clutched his fist and
brought up a handful of fish. Raising
himself to sitting posture. he then
relish. Down again into the water
| went the paw. and SO on. There were
quantities OF little fish in the brook
suckers and little trout-and Sir Bruin
| fshed a long time with excellent re-
/ suits. After catching his fish he ate
only the bodies and left the heads de-
posted in neat little pile on the log.
| 'All this may sound rather unreason-
able. why. for instance. should fish de-
| liberately swim into the bears patv?
Yet the explanation is perfectly simple.
The natural oil on a bears paw will bait
| fish better than any fly hook ever in
as gone. The bears toe nails are his
hooks. and they are good ones. Once
grabbed, the fish is sure to stay
In deep water the general procedure is
somewhat the same. but far more
| strenuous. For this reason, deep water
IL only sought when the bear is espe-
cially hungry and wants big fish-or
when the bear happens to be mother
| with cubs that must be fed. In this lat
| ter instance, Mamma Bear. accompanied
| by her little ones, strolls along the bank
of stream until she comes to a place
where the water is four or five feet deep.
and where instinct tells her the fishing
is apt to be good. Having picked her
! spot. she leaves her cubs on the bank.
rises on her launches and proceeds to
wade Slowly into the water. going out
until the water comes up to her shoul-
| ders.
/ Once in the stream she walks very
| slowly, with the current. keeping her
| arms down at her side and paws spread.
In due course of time some fish is prac-
! tically certain to brush against one of
those outspread paws-by accident. If not
drawn by the lure of the oil. The minute
| the old fisher-bear feels a fish she
clutches at it-and it is not once in
| twenty times that she will miss The
sharp, cruel claws get the fish and
| hold 1t.
Then comes a striking illustration of
mother love and fair play. The first fish
caught is thrown to the bank for the
cubs. The second caught is eaten by the
mother The third will go to the bank.
and SO on. The result is that the cubs
not only get square meal, but. watch
| ing, learn how to fish themselves.
| Again their instinct makes 1t the easiest
| Of matters for them to find ant hills-and
| the American bear considers ants a great