Evening star., 1927-05-13
PRICED ADDITIONS
RECEIVED At zoo
Snow Leopard, Andean Con-
dor and Rare Monkeys in
New Collection.

Some Of the most important addi-
tions ever made to the National Zoo
logical Park have been received dur
ing the past few days, and will be
placed on exhibition as soon as they
have become familiar with the sur
roundings.
The additions include:
A snow leopard cub, about TO
months old. from the Himalaya
Mountains of Northern India. the only
member of its species in the United
States. The Washington Zoo received
one specimen about 10 years ago
which lived here for more than eight
wears and was considered the prize
animal Of the entire collection. The
snow leopard, the most northerly of
the leopard family, is snow white for
protective coloring in the mountain
SHOWS. 1t feeds almost entirely on
grouse and partridge in its native
habitat.
An Andean condor from Chile. This
is the largest of all winged creatures.
The Zoo has been without a condor
for about five years. The last bird
of this type lived here for IS years
and finally was poisoned when some
careless visitor threw lead foil into
its cage. The condor frequently has
been known to attack and Kill human
beings. 1t rapidly is becoming extinct,
the various Andean governments once
placing a bounty upon the heads or
the birds. who made sheep raising I'M
possible in the mountains.
Get Antellus Monkeys.
Three antellus monkeys. These In
dian monkeys are the highest devel-
oped and most intelligent of all the
monkey family and come just behind
the first of the prinlates, the gibbons.
They are sacred in their native land
to the god Hanuman. The killing of
one of them is considered the greatest
sacrilege. AS a result. the Jungles
swarm with them, but they seldom
are exported, since they do not live
we'll in captivity. Most of those in
this country are held at fabulous
prices. The type hitherto has been
lacking in the washington zoo ana
was badly needed to fill in the most
complete collection of monkeys in the
United States. The animals display
almost human intelligence at times
and become excellent pets.
An Indian caracal. This Is men,
ber of the lynx family and Is one of
the rarest of all cat species. The Zoo
has had one small specimen of the
African caracal, secured by the Smith
sonian- -Chrysler Expedition last Sum-
mer. The caracal is red. with long,
slender body and tufted ears. The
present specimen is believed to be the
finest in America.
A pair of aoudads or.Barbary sheep
from North Africa. These bearded
North African mountain sheep are
very rare in the United States.
A northern fisher from Manitoba.
This is a member of the marten fam
ilv and is one of the most important
of North American fur-bearing ami
mails. 1t is trapped extensively
throughout the northern woods for it's
heavy reddish brown fur which is
popular for fur coats, but it is very
difficult to capture alive and Is rarely
seen in collections. DR.. William M.
Mann, superintendent of the Zoo, is
anxious to secure a better collection
of the North American fur bearers
which are among the prettiest of all
creatures and, although caught by
the thousands for their pelts, are un-
known to the majority of persons
while alive.
Pair .of Breeding Zebra.
A pair of breeding zebra Whlcn may
furnish the basis for herd of these
striped-coated animals for the Wash
ington park.
Three baby moufflon or rare Sar-
dinian sheep from Egypt. These Gre
lures are practically extinct in their
native habitat. Very rarely one
comes on the market, but they are
being preserved carefully in zoo col
lectfons throughout the United States
and Europe. Within a few years, it
is expected, they will exist only in
captivity.
Four pandas or cat bears from In
dia. These are the only Old World
members of the raccoon family and
are considered the most important
of all the recent additions. Like the
snow leopard, they come from the
peaks of the Himalayas. They are
prettier and more graceful than
raccoons, whom they slight
ly resemble, but can best be described
as living teddy bears. The pandas
are among the most amusing of all
animals with their long mustaches
and their ratherS clumsy bodies.
They are reddishbrown above and
black beneath, reversal of the ordi