Evening star., 1953-10-28
Getaway Was Easy for SIoyers of Deer in Zoo

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the Zoos deer didn't try for an
elk.
The bull elk would have killed
them, said Zoo Police 1t. c. E.
Brink.
Over the city, children were
still mourning the deer's untime-
ly end by butchery some time
Saturday night or Sunday morn
ing.
Indignant adults, who also
are friends and fans of the Zoo.
have boosted reward money to
$3.50.
The killing was relatively easy.
The Zoo at night is as eerie
as any 176-acre corner of a
primitive jungle. There are no
lights. The silence hangs as
heavily as the animal odors.
Apartment-house dwellers at the
Zoos edge can testify that the
roar of disturbed lions is the
only sound from the reservation.
Two Night Patrol Men.
The night police patrol is per-
formed by only two men. A
third member of the police force
is on duty at the switchboard.
Even without the special
knowledge of police routine, the
extent of the park and the small
size of the police force on duty
obviously made the deer Staying
relatively simple.
The police patrol on foot takes
80 minutes normally. The pa
troll, in addition to a lookout for
intruders, involves the welfare of
the inmates. The penguins must
not become too hot. The mon
keys cannot get too cool. A leak
of ammonia from the penguins'
refrigeration system could an
nihilate the entire bird house
population.
Police feel the lions have a
secret knowledge of when a
guard picks up the telephone in
their lion-house sub-station.
They roar like voracious ghoulS
until the caller hardly can make
himself heard.
In contrast to this uproar is
the reptile house, where pythons
eat live white rats in a manner
too basic for, the daytime Zoo
patrons.
Cobra Terrifying at Night.
A king cobra laying on the
sand, safely behind glass, isn't
too terrifying sight in the light
OF day. At night, rearing up
with hood flattened and spotted
in a f1ashlight beam. even be-
hind glass, it become disturbing.
Each building has it's own
noises and own smell. And each
presents a different police prob
lem. With all the details, the
team of guards spends consider
able time in one end of the Zoo.
The deer yard, where the
butchery took place is in the
other end, away from the main
buildings.
The Zoo has six gates, heavy
steel, fastened with chains and
padlocks at 6 pm. during this
time of year. They are reopened
at 6 am;
Probable Time of Deed.
Police believe the doe was
killed between gate-opening time
on Sunday and its discovery at
8:15 am. During that time, the
police would be at the far end
of the reservation. It also would
permit the slayerS to load the
120-pound carcass into a car and
drive through the open gates.
Killers who didn't mind wet
feet could have waded Rock
Creek where it makes a gap in
the fence around the park. With
police occupied elsewhere, even
a rudimentary knowledge of
their routine would have suf-
feed.
1t. Brink believes the Zoo
police force, which is separate
from the Metropolitan police
force, should be enlarged from
its present 24-man strength at
least enough to allow two travel
ing patrols at night, one for
each end of the park.
The lack of such protection
obviously aided the deer killers.
What probably aided them
more was the sheer unexpected
ness of the deed.