The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-07
HOW WILD ANIMALS
 CROSS THE OCEAN
Constant Watching-Some Ex- citing Happenings on Ships

More anmals-wild ones, that is-are shipped to us from Singapore than from any other port in the world, says Pear sons London Weekly
 Singapore is the collecting place for half Asia and there are steamships which actually specialize in this trade and cater for it.
 Elephants, partners. leopards, deer and monkeys, of many kinds. crocodiles, snakes, in huge variety-all these are shipped at Singapore. The collectors buy wholesale, from the Chinese agents, who are particularly good about getting the creatures they want
 Wild animals won't stand confinement in the hold of a ship. They are all, or almost all, carried as deck cargo. This means a lot of extra risk for bad storm or sudden change of temperature may play havoc with a valuable consign- ment.
 The most precious of all four-legged pas sengers is a giraffe. A giraffe Is a most difficult creature to catch alive, and when caught too often dies before it reaches the coast. For 20 years, from 1880 to 1900, only three girades were brought to Europe. During the present century the supply has been larger owing to the opening up of East Africa, partic- ularly of the Soudan.
 A young giraffe, even before shipment. WuitH dl ltdSl AAuV anu HeeuS TWO men to look after it. One that was sent from Delagoa Bay to the zoo was Il feet high, and was packed in a huge box 10 feet high, with an opening in the top for the lengthy creature to put its head out. Something like 90 pounds worth of fodder was shipped for it's consump- ton on the voyage and when it was landed the box was found to be too big to go through the railway tunnels.
 Every bridge and tllhnel was mea sI1red then the box was reduced to eight feet, telescoping Mir. Giraffe, but he arrived safely in London none the worse for his cramped journey.
 A big elephant is an awkward animal to handle especially to get aboard ship. Elephants. as rule, nate ships. When Barnum bought the famous Jumbo for f2000 it took about a week to persuade him to enter the box in which he was eventually shipped. Jumbo weighed seven tons, so when he arrived at Liverpool to be shipped to America he had to be fioated down the river in a barge and hoisted aboard ship with a derrick. Another big zoo elephant, lingo, was sold to the states in the year 1903 He suffered terribly from both home and sea sickness. All he would eat on ship board was biscuits soaked in whisky. On the sixth day out the poor creature died. It is said that he was simply brok- en-hearted.
 Mandarian. one of Barnum and Bailey s finest elephants went mad in mid-ocean aboard the Minneapolis. and tried to kill his keepers. It was decided that he must be executed. grea~ hawser was run | around his neck and attached to the donkey engine, and in this was he was strangled. His body Was dropped into the sea.
 It occasionally happens that animals break loose aboard ship, and then there is serious trouble. In March, 1905 the steamer Neidenfels, with a cargo of wild animals, met with a storm in the middle of the Indian Ocean. A partition separat- ing three leopards from an elephant and her calf was broken down, and one of a carrot which the elephane calf was eating.
 Instantly the mother struck the leopard with her trunk, knocking 1t several feet away. Keepers heard the scream of the leopard and rushed u,, to find all three leopards attacking the elephant Two were at last beaten off; one was killed outright, the poor mother elephant was so shoclSingly mauled that she died two days later. Fortunately the calf was unhurt.
 Pythons are packed fin sacks, three in each sack Four sacks go into box and the lid is nailed down. The snakes travel without water or food and with very little air, and usually arrive safely unless they are caught by cold weather
 An early autumn frost cost the late MT. Hagenbeek over f1200. It killed a whole consignment of valuable eastern snakes when they were within two days only of their destina ton.