Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-01-07
REFUTES IDEA THAT
CRATES ARE MUTE
Game Warden Saws Young
Rawl and Low Like Calf.

Washington, D. C.-Some natural
lists long have held that giraffes are
voiceless animals, unable to make
sound even when in agony. re-
cent challenge of this occurs in the
annual report of the Kenya (Africa)
game warden, which ayers that
young giraffe, separated from its
mother, will bawl and low like
hungry calf.
whether mute or not, the giraffe
is one of the worlds most peculiar
animals" says the National Geo
graphic society. ''It has at least
two other claims to distinction. 1t
is the worlds tallest mammal and
one of the most expensive animals
found in menageries.
"a CRATES neck, long as it is,
contains no more vertebrae than
does the neck of man. 1t is mere
ly elongation of the vertebrae that
elevates the CRATES head among
the treetops.
ThOrns No Bother.
possessing few means OF de-
tense, giraffes are protected by their
coloration Their irregularly marked
coats blend so perfectly with the
dappled sunlight and shadows of the
trees on which they feed that at a
distance they are difficult to detect.
Thorny acacias do not prove trial
to them, for the animals tough hides
protect them from long thorns, and
their elastic tongues taper to pluck
leaves without including the trees
piercing armor.
when feeding among the tree
tops, 16 or Is feet above the ground,
the CRATES long dashed eyes can
scan a wide range for menacing en-
emies. When grazing, however, or
drinking from water hole, the an
imal cannot see lions prowling in
the surrounding grasses. Since a
springing lion could break a gil
RATES. neck, it is fortunate that the
giraffe can survive long time be-
tween drinks Dew on leaves helps
to quench its thirst.
Lions usually stalk a giraffe in
pairs. Attacked by single lion, a
giraffe might be able to fend it off
by kicking viciously, or, if able to
shake the lion off its back, it could
escape by running.
"Giraffes usually seek safety in
flight. Hunters pursuing them on
horseback do not have an easy time
catching up. Given a five minutes
lead, especially over uneven ground,
they, travelling more than 80 miles
an hour, can outrun a fleet Sudan
horse. Young giraffes begin gallop-
ing shortly after they are born, and
usually keep up with the herd.
Use for Tough Hides.
Africans hunt these animals for
food, and for their tough hides out Of
which they make shields and san
dals. They often strip the hide off in
pieces 80 feet long. Although indis-
criminate hunting has rapidly de-
creased the number of giraffes,
many herds still roam the heart of
Africa.
"GlratfeS are among the most
costly animals in captivity, not so
much because they are scarce, but
because they are temperamental
They are delicate and nervous Nee
essary surgical operations can be
performed on many wild animals,
but seldom on giraffes They are so
timid that they show alarm at the
least cause. They even have been
known to drop dead when their keep
ers approached to give them medi-
cine.
Catching them in pitfalls or traps
is out of the question because of in
jury that would result to their necks
and legs. The usual method of cap
turing them is to pursue a herd un-
til the young drop out exhausted, or
to drive herd into a corral.
1.-THE joke of the giraffe with a
sore throat is not humorous to zoo
keepers. Fogs give them sore
threats and colds. Legs of the young
frequently swell, become crooked
and too weak to support them. Gil
RATES. find unusual ways to hurt
themselves. In the Calcutta zoo one
hanged himself by catching his neck
in a forked branch"