GERMANY LOSES WILD ANIMAL TRADE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 191, 8 May 1919, Page 8

GERMANY LOSES WILD ANIMAL TRADE

; CONTROL PASSES TO BRITAIN " The' wild animal trade of the world, the.business of supplying wild animals for zoos and' circuses, is now undergoing a complete revolution, according to tho report of Madison Grant, chairman of the executive committee of the New -York Zoological-Society; which was made at the annual meeting of the society. He also added that the war had completely destroyed several, large-colleptions of animals in Europe, and ■ others beyond the fighting zones were reduced 50 to CO per cent. ■ : : '• ■ •-.'■.•'■'•' •.

"Supplying wild animals for'zoos and ( circuses, 'which, was ■ once entirely. in the -'hands of the Germans, is now passing to English dealers," said. Mr. Grant., "Tho Germans have lost their colonies and sources of supply,, and no longer havo customers in the Allied' nations. An English company, which has taken ove> the trade, has already a supply of rare wild animals for. us at. Pretoria, SouthAfrica, waiting for shipment. Fortunately, the embargo on imports of wild animals has been raised, and with the resumption of shipments the gaps in our collections will soon be filled.

"The war has completely. destroyed several of the great zoological collections in Europe, and-reduced-by 50 to 60 per cent, the collections of many other gardens.supposed to bo. safe beyond the fighting zone. Ever since 19H the stoppage of all'transportation for. zoological specimens has'affected us, and during,tho last eight.months the embargo'has been stringent and complete. The,park census for 'January;! shows a serious 'fallirig.off in mammals','; birds, aiid reptiles." ..

Thornton- W. Burgess, of Mass., spoke .''.on' the movement to provide sanctuary ior wild aniirials in this country, arid paid .that more than 900,000 acres ,6f" wild'lands'; had-.'.'been astaWis!hed' for .their, protection. Mr. Burgess, who was presented with a- gold medal of the Permanent Wild Life Fund, prophesied -that ;the future .of ,wild life in America' was : in" the hands, of the children, of the country. ':•:..',.'.'. "Through -iheir r efforts. J ' he'said, "we have been able' to establish' 3337 wild-lif o sanctuaries with.a'total of • 933,591; acrea in forty-three States and Gariada.-iPrac-tically all of this has been'-done" by the children. 'Through ,the,agency, of Magazines and newspapers ire have been able to send out , pledge3."The'childfen'hayo taken them to land-owners to sign, and we have .then, supplied .enough. 'Jinen posters to protect the place from game hunters. •.' •' '•' ' '

"The most effective way to make children merciful and kind. to. animals has been the personification of animals in little'stories. A boy will trap, a'muskrat any time he wants to, but he could not trap, Jerry Mnskrnt any more than he' could 1 shoot Peter:. Babbit."