Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-12-26
CAME IN 6. W. IS
GROWING SCARCE
EXPERT ASSERTS
New Types of Fire Arms
and the Desire of Many
Persons to Slaughter Are
Given as the Reason.
(By The Associated Press.)

game in the southwest is rapldly
disappearing. New types of fire
arms and the desire of many per-
sons to slaughter game have re-
suited in the complete destroying
of number of animals in the
southwest and many other AMI
mails and birds are almost extinct,
according to j. Il. Mcclellan, an
Ell Paso taXidermist, who is said
to have kept in close touch with
animal and bird life for many
years.
Mr.. Mcclellan mentioned the
grizzly bear as an example. Griz-
lilies never were plentiful. being
slow breeders, but they should
have been retained as the pride OF
the southwestern wilds, he said.
But according to Mr.. Mcclellan, az
the rate hunters are killing them
they soon will be only curiosities.
Kill MGther and Young.
"a female bear has one or two
cubs a year and the little ones
should remain with their mother
eighteen months or more" he said,
"yet 1t is common for hunters to
kill the mother bear with her
young.
EVERY one knows what hap
pened to the deer family before
the deer were protected, but, at
that, protection came too late. Our
native deer soon will be extermt-
mated at the rate they are being
/. killed. The black tail type soon
will be as scarce as the buffaloes
which once roamed the southwest
ern plains in countless herds"
Mountain sheep also are about
gone, according to the taxidermist.
IT remember when there were
black tail sheep in the mountains
in New Mexico, but l understand
they are no longer there" he said.
There used to be great herds of
them in the state of Chihuahua,
Mexico, but even there they are
seldom seen. now. Americans are
even going to the border Mexican
states to slaughter game whole
sale,
There only 500 lobo wolves left
in the United States, according to
a prominent authority. A small
percentage OF these roam the wilds
of the southwest, but they will not
roam long. They were never very
plentiful, however,
IT don't know how many lobos
there are in Mexico, but at the rate
the Mexicans are killing them
their hides are worth SO each
there won't be any before long.
Last winter 100 lobos were killed
on the Hearst estate in chihuahua.
Antelope Arc Scarce.
"Antelopes were once so COM
mon in the southwest that the
cowboys had to kill them as nui-
sances. They would run with
cattle herds and stampede the
steers and were in the way. Today
hunter finding an antelope Is
lucky, indeed.
zone of the few animals that
have outwitted man to date is the
fox. Incidentally, let me say
there is no species of black or sill
yer foxes. Foxes OF either of these
hues are simply freak Offspring
of the reds. Foxes know how tc
steal the bait without springine
traps and there is no killing then
with poison. The fox's intelli.
gence apparently will assure him
the freedom of the wilds for Ions
time.
"Muskrats are very plentiful
possibly for the reason that the
southwestern species are not very
valuable, their hair being toe
short.
II believe game was povided TO,
the use of man." said Mr.. McLel'
Ian, "but I also believe man owes
nature the consideration of de-
stroying only such game as is need
ed for food or clothing and al
lowing the remainder to flourish
for the benefit of future genera
tions.
1--WE have never had any moose
in this section, but elk We're very
plentiful not very long ago. Thu
last herd of elk in this section
know of lived in sthe Sacrament;
mountains of New Mexico. Fifteer
years ago some market hunter!
slaughtered the entire herd am
y hauled them to Ell Paso. Their,
were four wagon loads sold in thu
Ell Paso markets as food. Their
are none now, except few planted
by the government recently in tn,
White mountains.
Beavers Are Depleted.
ITO think of beaver is enough
to make one sigh. You will fine
a few small colonies of beave
near FL Paso, but the animal ha
been sadly depleted by trappers
The greatest onslaught against thi
tribe came after the defeat of TIL
Apaches. During the time o
Geronimo, the beaver was fruitful
and multiplied, with little inter
ference on the part of the Indians
After the Apaches We're defeated
trappers came in armies into thei
lands and dealt the death blow {,
Mr.. and Mrs. Beaver and child
ren.
To-day, Texas Is one of the lev
states that allow the killing 0
beavers. 1t cannot be done In New
Mexico and Arizona, but even witt
the laws it is almost too late t
save the species.
1.-THE same fate has come upol
the otter, once plentiful in thi
section. Trappers have worke,
systematically on this animal
whose hide brings $12 and $14
and an otter is now scarce com
modify.
Even the coyote, once as plen
tiful as rats, is yielding the pair
OF victory to man. Several year
ago, when the Mexican bandits ha
destroyed all the cattle in north
ern chihuahua, they began {
work on the coyotes, whose hide
then brought SO each. The resul
is a scarcity of coyotes In Chihua
hua. And in Texas, New Mexic
and Arizona traps and poiso