Evening journal., 1919-12-06
MAJOR HOLDS Big
ELEPHANT BY TAIL
Captive Follows Captor Into
Camp and Takes TO
Bottle Diet
GIGANTIC TRAPS
TO CATCH BEASTS
BY EDWARD VI. TuERRY

N. Z. A. Stan Correspondent With
Smithsonian-unlyers African Expe-
dition.
IN CAMP, KENKELBOSCH. South AZ
rica. Dec Cit isn't all bullets. blood
and slaughter in the governmental
creed wip ng out OF the last surviving
heard of South African elephants In
the Addo Bush.
Traps Will catch many OF them, ac-
cordlng 10 the plans Of Major Pretori-
Gus. who has taken the role OF execu-
tioner Of the 200 condemned Wild NAM
moths lurking there as a menace to civ
ilization.
During the weeks stay in camp here
OF members OF the Smithsonian African
Expedition. the major captured two OF
the herd-both baby elephants, about
II months old AMI hardly three feet
high.
These pocket edition elephants were
easy prey. They followed the hunter
into camp like pet dogs. Now they
are on their way to circus captivity
at S625 a head.
Capturing the big fellows is another
matter. Major Pretorlous hopes 20 do
Il, though And. more than that, he
proposes to undertake the experiment
Of training. African elephants TO work.
Elephant IN India are thus utilized,
but no African elephant has ever been
successfully trained TO work for man
Pretorlous has invented a patent
steel trap u will be set in the thick.
thorny bush. its huge bands Of steel 50
arranged as 10 grip its enormous We
! tim around the legs. The trap Is larg-
er, heavier and stronger than any other
trap ever made.
Captured elephants OF great size Will
be.lifted out OF the traps by means Of
derrick and oxen, with steel chains
around their legs. They viii be
shipped Immediately 20 Knysna Forest
government reserve, a hundred miles
or so down the coast between Port
Elizabeth and Cape Town. Fourteen
elephants are now preserved there In
wild state, but they are not a men
ace like the Addo herds, because knys-
ma Is a forest and not a bush and IL
has water in plenty. so that the ele-
phants do mt roam afleld 10 slack their
thirst
When the major captures elephants
no larger than OXen-aside from the
baby-size being sold 20 c'rcuses and
zoos-he proposes 20 put them to work.
His trunk harness will resemble an
automobile tire chain, entirely binding
the trunk 10 within four inches Of the
tip. At the lower end OF the trunk har-
ness there VIII be a hook, to be slipped
into a ring set over the chest as a part
OF the elephants body harness. Thus
the trunk will be rendered practically
harmless.
Then the chained mammoths viii be
lharnessed 20 plows and set 10 work. II
the experiment fails they will be
shipped 10 the Knysna Forest Reserve.
| II it succeeds the captives Will be good
for many years work; for an elephant
lives 10 be IS or 100 years old, or more.
The first elephant Pretorious caught
named Jumbo, Junior. by the majors
wife, who, a huntress OF some prowess
herself. keeps camp for her husband
got separated when the herd charged
him. AS three were piled up dead In
gateway" Of the thrOn bush the
others. fed. The major, sighting the
baby, ran and seized IL by the tail. It
wheeled and, though lis soft trunk
was harmless, struck him such a blow
with its bulky body that he was sent
headlong into a bush.
Scrambling out he again grabbed
the squeqling baby and held II. The
Ka1r boys proposed tieing II, but Pre-
torlous waited till the last sound Of the
ltrumpeting herd had died away in the
distance. Then he let 90 and started
for camp. And Jumbo, Junior, trotted
peacefully behind.
It was cutting teeth and It kept up a
row every night. \ native boy was
assigned as nurse and Jumbo, Junior,
began TO thrive on the bottle-contaln-
ing a mixture OF milk and rice.