The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-09-02
DEATH FARM IS.
UNEARTHED
IN zoo
Reporter Discovers Pets Are
Raised Only to Furnish
Snakes Dinner

Did you ever hear of the death
farm" out at the ZOO?
Sounds gruesome. doesn't it?
Well. it is and it isn't.
The so.called death farm" of the
zoo park lies due north Of the en-.
trance on Adams Mill road, just
back of the big brick house marked.
superintendent office" around
which the Riddles play daily.
The kiddies-that is, most Of
theni-know nothing about the
farm, for it they did. pandemonium
Of ecstaticism would ensue, which
would be bad for disciplinary rea.
sons.
In reality the farm is live truck
garden, kept for the purpose of
enticing the jaded appetities of pet
snakes, neurotic alligators and in
valid monkeys.
The truck" grows in wire pens
and stands on four legs and two,
according to the biological peculi.
arities of the plants.
Back OF the big house, and pre-
sided over by Daddy Lambert
stands q wooden stable. from which
cackles, peeps and queer little
grunts may be heard at all hours.
Inside, In wire pens and boxes,
are chickens, rabbits, and mice and
rats Of all sizes and varieties that
run around and play as II no fate
awaited them.
Wait Day of Doom.
Beautiful Belgian hares, big
white Dummies. pretty black and
white mouse aristocrats, and the
choicest OF white leghorn and black
minorca chickens live in peace and
quiet until the day of doom should
approach.
For these dainty creatures will
one day disappear down the long
black passageway that is the dis
lance from snakes mouth to his
tummy. and the beautiful white
eggs which are laid by the prize
hens will move monkey to cpl
curean thrills.
Daddy Lambert loves his littis
animals. He puts into the hands
Of feminine visitors who are suf-
fragetically past the squealing stage
wee creatures, the offspring OF
mice and rabbits, just day and a
half old These bits are soft and
silky and have closed eyes and ears
They snuggle in the palm of a
hand and shiver with cold; then
Daddy takes them gently up ami
places them back in their nests.
naII,,s. Tf,,., d..
Daddy makes pets of his little
friends. A visitor, perceiving this,
asked: But don't you feel awful
when the animals are taken for
food over to the big park?
II never see them given, for food.
merely hand them over to the
keepers, who call for them" he
replied.
Several important-looking bantam
hens cluck busily, scratching for
food for the babies, of the wild
birds Matched down at the big pond.
The superintendent are afraid to
leave them at the mercy Of the wild
parent birds. so they are brought
up to the domestic fowls to be
reared. OF course these choice
specimens do not go to feed the
animals, but are put back with the
parents when they are old enough
to forage alone.
The prize chickens of the barn
are two silver pheasants, a cock
and a hen that have the run of
the yard. Cock-a-doodle-doo is
black and a silvery white. with
trailing i. tail feathers of silver. His
mate is a golden brown creature,
drab in comparison with her gay
plumaged lord. But they strut
around together, pecking content
edly, and If the cock of the walk
desires a lady of more brilliant col.
oring he hasn't told it to his little
mate yet, nor has some barnyard
gossip carried any unsavory stories