PLAGUE OF ELEPHANTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 200, 13 August 1908, Page 4

PLAGUE OF ELEPHANTS.

FiVK TUSKERS SHOT IN TWO MINUTES. A few months ago the London Daily Xuws published an account of the ravages liy wild elephants in llhodesia. The elephants are peculiarly vicious, and owing to the stringent game laws, tlleir numbers have increased to a formidable extent, So unsafe has the locality become that the farms were becoming depopulated, settlers and prospectors give it. a wide berth, and ' the natives are terrorised because of several men being killed and crops destroyed, especially in the district of Lomagundi. A missionary, the Rev. \\. 'l'. tlrantham, made repeated appeals to the South. African Government for some relaxation of the game laws, and now the announcement is ollicially made that "His Honor the Administrator authorises the destruction of elephants in tlw Lomagumli district." Writing home to Lancaster, Mr. tirantliam speaks of the nillnx of "big game'" sportsmen into the district, and ik'Sti'ibes an 'experience, of three Dutchmen while, elephant shooting. At SI a m. they came on a troop ul seven cl.'piiants, anil killed one bull. They followed 011 the spool' of 111" others, and at 2.H0 came up with them about seven miles east of my station. H.v this time other elephant* had joined up. and they numbered about IS. 1 h'.' hinders lircd, and a bull dropped. -Tiie remaining elephants spread themselves out. and completely surrounded the mv.n on a small ant-heap. To run awav wa< impossible, so lliey Sat tight, kept their nerve, and shot slriii'dlt. with the result that in tw> minutes they had killed lour elephants wfliin a radius of from 20 to nil.yards. The others then made oil', live, having been killed, and all of them tinkers. I went out to see the scene of the tray, and an interesting sight it was: hundreds of natives, male and female, had congregated there, and by noon next dav"dozens <i fires were drying tons oi