Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-08-28
MADISON zoo
WONDERFUL =:
ALFRED RINGING
Circus Man Interested in Preserv-
ing Wild Life in Parks---S0
Thought Of Money Making

About the Llllo AL
s,ircusman, gave Annie catiei ino
pacvderm to the Madison zoo SUM-
t,uo years ago, he was quoted Dy Inc
Damocrat as suggesting the oesi
ability Of establishing somewhere III
tho south or in Porto RICO ste"'
,nork wherein wild animal species
,,,iob+ he saved from extinction.
NJow the same theory is advanced
-rv him in the Jackonsville, Florloa,
sTinoas- Union. in which he speaks Oh
she Madison ZOO as having one OIL .ne
Utmost wonderful collection OF anlnals
an this country.
Is Jacksonville to have geological
garden equal to that OF New ioih'
3bi1adelnhia or several other OF our
o,,aat cities? asks The Times Union;
and adds. it will if "Alfred L. ring
ling circus man, and lover OF ANIMALS
whose name is byword on the
tongue of every boy or girl in every
hamlet and in every little back coun-
4rv farm In this country is able 10
carry out his present plans"
I'm speaking of his plans to devel-
on a great geological garden near
Jacksonville. Mr.. Ringing said: i
have discussed this matter with sew
oral of my friends who are deeply IN
terested In this matter. Ine win
animals of this country, and also those
of the jungles of Africa, Asia ana
South America are fast being nunteo
down by the big game hunters. Already
we know in this country what is 70
fairly destroy certain of the most PIC
turesoue as well as gamest OF our WILD
-snecies. I refer to deer in some Sec
.tions, buffaIoes in others, bears In
still others, and I could go on enum-
@erating a long list. The same is COM
ing true of the animals of the jungles
D. In the tropical countries. Men who en-
thuse over the study of zoology and
botany cry out against the extinction
of these beasts and plants. Skeletons
are unearthed from time to time show
ing animals extinct for centuries. Ii
we do nothing to stop this, just as we
no wtry to conserve the forests, SO our
animal life will be destroyed. One OF
my New York friends wants to build
arp a great garden near New York. But
that is not feasible because of the eli
mate. Florida offers a climate mild
enough for the tropical animals with
out destroying their natural habits and
development.
But [ do not want to build along
Co
~ed animal is all but destroyed. Animals
must have freedom as far as possible
nike that given them in their natural
sstate. We shall not use cages, but
enclosures of considerable area to al
Cow animals real freedom.
'"Mr. Ringing then told of his
friendship with DR.. c.. G.. Dwight, a
famous nose and throat specialist of
Madison, capital of Wisconsin. Zoo
Aogy is DIR Dwight's hobby, and he
full collection of animals for Madison
that can be found in this country. He
docs all his work for the city free,
Just for the love of it. Mr.. Ringing
said that his friend was a crank for
getting the perfect specimens. "Onee
I offered an elephant to the Madison
garden DR.. Dwight would not ac-
cept it until it had been examined and
found to be all but perfect. OF course
II don't blame my friend, but I gave
them that elephant, and, it had it's
funny side for me-"
Clxad cea I'd or, xxyo,,I n
The a paying proposition Mr.. Ringing
quickly explained, 81, nor my friends
who I hope will be associated with
me in this undertaking, have any
thought of money-making. That idea
is not prompting us to go into it. I am
not even considering raising animals
for the circus. Naturally at some
time or other, there wiK be surplus
animals of one specie or another, and
we shall sell them, or better still,
give them to other gardens But that
is the extent of selling animals and
getting money for them"
Mr.. Ringling's interest in actors is
explained easily enough, but he sur
prised his Florida interviewer by re-
Terring to the great lights of present
day fiction and journalism in way
which showed his close friendship
with many of them. Charles Dana
Gibsononce said that snake and ami
NAL stories are the greatest in the
world said Mr.. Ringing. It was
evident that Gibson won a friend by
shat remark. Mr.. Ringing stated
that in all his travels in Florida he
had never seen live snake, yet
FLORIDA is well known for her many
kinds of reptiles, including alliga-
ors and other sea monsters.
Mr.. Ringing was in Florida but a
few days, then went by boat last
to New York where he has city home
as well as country place at Oak
Ridge. N. J.