The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-01-07
SOUTHEAST MO.
zoo IS URGED BY
PROF. ROBERTS
Zoologist Thinks Cape Col
lection Should Contain
Vanishing Animals.
WANTS BIRDS AND
NATIVE FISH. TOO
Expert Urges City Not To Con.
slider Monkeys For Inmates
OF Park.

That a Zoo in the proposed new City
Park may be made to show not only
the animal life of Southeast Missouri
as it is today, but also as it was a
few years ago when several creatures
ran wild that virtually have been ex-
terminated, IS the opinion of Profess
sor H. l.. Roberts, head Of the ZoOicg
zeal department at the Normal School.
A collection of animals that woulC
illustrate the old and new Southeast
Missouri's wild life could be made
within about three years, he declared
and the project of getting animals
would be one of the smallest part of
the zoo management.
Professor Roberts declared he be-
lieved that the city could get animals
for zoo as soon as announcement
was made that the city was ready to
receive them and take care of them.
"To make the zoo 4 Southeast Mis-
couri affair in the beginning and try to
get animals living in this natural ha-
bitat, would mean economy and SIM
plicity of taking care of them," Pro-
fessor Roberts explained.
an the first place, it would be q
great educational feature to have {
collection of animals indigenous to this
region. Few people know what are
all the animals that live in this part Of
the country, and 4 collection would
open their eyes.
"Then we would begin to revive
some of the animals that have been
exterminated in this section, We would
have an interesting zoo.
"Such a feature alone would greatly
enhance the value of our park to the
city, believe, and l am convinced that
the maintenance of such an institution
would be at small cost to the city"
Since the proposal to have a zoo in
the City Park first was made, several
months ago, the sentiment in its ia
vor has been gaining strength. Mayor
Rage has given the proposition his en-
dorsement and has announced that he
intends to see the scher.e carried out
in the new park if it is possible.
Professor Roberts has had consid-
cradle experience with work cf that
character and made statement to
The Tribune concerning features that
he believes it would be we'll TO embOdy
in the proposition.
In the list of different animals that
Professor Roberts named as being
indigenous to this part of the Mis-
sissippi River Valley, he suggested
about two dozen, many Of which are
not seen here any more owing to the
fact that hunters have driven them
out completely.
First among the animals that he
is the deer All that would
be necessary to keep deer in the park
would be to see that they were prop
erly fenced in with an enclosure at
least ten feet high.
A black or cinnaman bear which
could be obtained in Southeast Mis-
souri, or Northern Arkansas, could be
chained and kept.
Many of the others lie named would
have to be Gagged in stout cages. The
following is list of animals that
could be obtained for a city zoo:
wolves. foxes, coyotes, minks, wild
cats, raccoors, opossums, skunks,
prairie dogs, pocket gophers, musk
rats, woodchucks, squirrels, ground
squirrels, gray and fox squirrels, bea-
vers, rabbits, porcupines, and badgers.
Professor Roberts declared that
from what he has seen of the stables
and buildings at the fairgrounds, they
could be altered with little expense to
them into suitable quarters
for a zoo.
Because the animals that have been
named are native to this climate, little
special housing would have to be done,
and if ever the zoo became strong
enough to take in other regions, spec
ial warm houses could be provided
Professor Roberts discussed the
of having the customary
cage of monkeys in the zoo and ad-
Vised against an effort to introduce
into Cape Giradeau.
They are the hardest animals to
maintain satisfactorily ard they are
nard to obtain, he said. He also said |
hat it would be extremely difficult to
obtain another of the favorite speci-
mems in ZOOS, namely, the bison or
American buffalo.
Years ago, the prairies were filed |
with herds of buffalo, bat they have
)een driven out and now, Professor
Roberts declared he doubts if there
ire many more than 100 in the entire