Evening star., 1945-06-28
This and That
By Charles E. TraceDeu

SHERMAN CIRCLE.
Dear Sir:
Il followed your suggestion and asked
the Zoo and received. permission to
place my pet duck in the Enclosure with
the flock near the bears den.
Instead of Donald being subjected
to the attacks from the other ducks, he
seemed the aggressor and able to take
very good care of himself. I watched
him until he went into the water and
then returned home for dinner.
Later I drove over again and no.
ticed him still in the water. Several
times he answered me when I called,
but I feel that he will have forgotten
us all in few days.
Perhaps the ducks ability to take
care of himself was partly due to the
training and companionship of a fe-
rocious looking English bulldog next
door.
L am lnclosing several snapshots of
MN as he is really an unusual duck
who deserves something better than
merely having part in overcoming the
meat shortage.
L thank you for your assistance in
helping me find a suitable home for
MIN. Sincerely, E. j."
y X
This is much better way to dispose
OF pet than to eat him!
The National Geological Park is al
ways glad to get worthy and good speci-
mems Of animals
None should be destroyed until it
has been tried.
The men there all love the animals
INV
job, OF course, but at the bottom they
are fond of them or they wouldn't be
there.
1t Is often possible to place a bird
or animal with the Zoo Thereafter
one has sort of personal interest in
the place.
This is much better than dropping
them on the sly. in the ponds by the
old Pierce Mill in Rock Greek Park.
Sometimes bit of trouble arises from
this. There is one story of a gentle
man who decided that this would be
the place to put his childrens Easter
duck after it had grown up
DUCKS have a way of growing rapid
ly, and acquiring various habits which
often do not 60 we'll in the home
This gentleman took the duck over
and dropped him in.
The wild birds Immediately came
after 1t and began to peck at it.
The father watched from his car,
Tor time, and finally decided that it
was too much for the new swimmer.
SO he got out of the car, walked over
to the pond, and picked up his duck,
preparatory to taking it nome again.
1t was at this juncture, just as he
started back to the car, that the park
policeman came along.
The man was arrested for stealing a
duck, and had quite a time proving
that it was his own he was taking.
He had to get affidavits from the
nelghbors before the vigilant park DO
lice would believe him.
Young turkeys, by the way, are beau
tlful birds, and make amusing play
mates. provided they can be fenced in.
Those who have never seen young
turkeys are usually amazed at their
beauty, the first time they see them.
They have all the loveliness of pup
pies, and look more like song birds
than anything else.
The turkey, by the way, was the bird
which came near being our national
emblem.
There were many hackers of this fine
creature, but the bald eagle won out.
Because 1t is master of the air. it is
better emblem than the turkey.
Placing pets which, for one reason OF
another, are no longer wanted, is al
ways problem, but one which may be
solved humanely, in most cases, by a
little patience, time and sometimes a
bit OF money. Such solution is far
better, one may think, than death. If
there is ever to be an end of wars, the
beginning must come at home. We can
not have cruelty in any form on the
home front and not have wars, any
more than it is possible to have slavery
and not have cruelty grow from 1t.