Cheyenne Wells record., 1922-11-23
Boom in Wild
Animal Market

years In these fields and thoroughly
understand the conditions under which
particular animal may be tracked
down and captured.
Transportation 10 Difficult.
Since most wild animals nre cap
tured In remote regions iar from CIV
iliZntiOn. the question of transpOrta-
ton Is extremely difficult. Hundreds
Of miles must he covered over wild
regions before the nearest railroad or
shipping port is reached. The han
ding Of most wild animals under such
conditions is extremely dan"erOus and
difficult So great Is the American de-
mand for wild animals mt present that
stock is now shipped directly to the
United States from the South African
and other fields. New YO-,: has be-
come n great clearing house for wild
animals, where extensive shipments
are received rivaling Noahs ark for
the variety of Its passengers. There
nre at present three such clearing
houses, one in New England. another
In Jersey City, n third at Coney Island.
from which wild ,.nimals are distrib.
uted TO all parts Of the United States.
Wild animals are one Of the few
commodities which have not Increased
In price during the war. The present
quotations for the stock of menngerie
compare very favorably with the pre-
war prices. A lion or tiger fully
grown can he bought anywhere from
500 to 5000. A giraffe brings from
$1,000 to $4,000. Considering the DIFF
ficulties Of capturing these snimals In
remote parts OF the globe and trans
porting them thousands Of miles to
their ultimate home in some geological
garden. the prices seem surprisingly
low. The prices incidentally are lnrge-
ly determined by the purcIi,.s sing DOW.
ers OF the owners of mpnaseries. Most
geological gardens. for instance. are
supported by subscription and cun
only afford to pay certain prices and
the wild animal dealer IL Obliged TO
meet them.
Cost Has Increased.
The cost Of gathering wilu animals,
meanwhile, has considerably Increased
since pre-war days. In the most re-
mote jungles Of Africa tn, natives
have caught the fever for higher pny.
The new spirit naturally affects the
price Of wild animals to the ultimate
consumer.
The average visitor to a menagerie
who gazes idly at wild animals col.
lected for his amusement has little
tdea Of the enormous work required
to assemble such II show. An exDedi.
tion sent out for tigers, lions. ele.
plants or hippopotnmi will often con-
slst Of more than 100 persons. II Is
necessary to have experienced beuters
who are familiar with the jungles and
the habits Of the animals required.
There must be large force of run.
ners who are also skilled In handling
wild animals under various conditions,
Several natives must make the trip to
prepare the food for the animals.
There IL. besides, the stuff who direct
the expeditions. In some cases the cx.
petitions include $50 experienced
hunters.
The point of departure for some of
these expeditions is a large, farm in
Fast Africa. Here more than 300 ma
tives are constantly employed. The
farm. incidentally, is situated nearly
100 miles from railway, and here
the wild animals are brought and kept
for several months to accustom them
gradually to captivity. Such an ex-
pedition may be absent one and a Lalf
years in the Jungle. They must time
their trip SO that the animals will be
captured at a favorable season when
the change to life Of captivity will
least affect their health.