Elephant's Taste For Ball And Salt Cellar

Chronicle (Levin), 14 January 1949, Page 3

Elephant's Taste For Ball And Salt Cellar

AUCKLAND, Jan. 13. Jamuna Pridea, of the , Auckland Zoo's collection, has caused great concern in the last few days to her keepera who have been quite prupared to see a rapid decline in her physical eondition. Early this week she swallowjed a tennis ball and about half an hour later added a salt cellar to her diet. The danger in. which Jamuna 's. penchant for titbits had placed her, lirst became known on Monday when a tearful little girl' toid the keeper that she had dropped her tennis ball over tHe barrier in the elephant's stall. A- greedy trunk'-had taken possession of • -it and it was quickly swallbwed. ' The ehild's main concern was the recdvery of her ball but tlie keeper had'in mind the agony in which two of the Zoo 's'hippopotaim had died after they had swallowed rubber ballsl Imm'ediate elforts to retrieve the ball from Jamuna 's throat were unsuccessful and the Zoo offieials were resigned to waiting for si|;ns that Jamuna 's conidtion. was deteriorating. Anxiety was increased a ■ short time later when a woman reported that she had dropepd a salt cellar inside the barrier and that it had quickly been snapped up by Jamuna 's roving trunk and as quickly tr'ansf erred to its mouth. In sicceeding days the elephant has shown no signs that her unusual titbits have caused her discomfort but has continued with her holiday task of carrying groups ot children around the pond. The .tennis ball ceased to be a matter for concern today but the exact whereabouts of the salt cellar are still unknown. All that is known is that it is still in Jamuna 's possession. • An appeal to visitors to. the Zoo to do all they eould to prevent exhibits from being endaugered by swallowing harmf ul art-icles, • was- made by the eurator of the Zoo,- Lieutenant-Colonel E. R. Sawer. He recalled former incidents which had caused the loss of valuable animals and said that as far as possible a close watch was kept to safeguard exhibits. A shortage of staff made it impossible for keepers to be present at all.times ahd the cooperation of the public had to reiied upon to a large extent.