OPERATION ON A RHINOCEROS.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 283, 3 May 1898, Page 4

OPERATION ON A RHINOCEROS.

The superintendent of the Zoological Gardens hay to be a man of many parts. Most people expect him to be at heart, from a " hippo " to a guinea-pig ; but he is not generally credited with being something of a surgeon as well. Early on a tecent morning, however, before the gates were opened to the ordinary visitor, a few privileged artists, and the rhinoceros familiarly know as " Begum, the hairy-eared,'' were given proofs which quite convinced them on the subject—especially poor Begum. The operation was Dot a very serious affair. The lower of the two horns which characterise the hairy-eared divison of the rhinoceros family had worked its way in this case right back to the upper horn, and threatened either to break off itself or destroy the other. Air Clarence Bartlett, therefore decided to saw the troublesome part away—a simple matter compared with some of the operations which the superintendent is occasionally called upou to perform—clipping the claws of a tiger for instance, or extracting a tooth from a hippopotamus. But it was a ticklish affair all the same, and needed the whole of the available staff of the gardeua to bring it about. Perhaps Begum remembered a similar operation—lo or 12 years ago —when the same horn had to be cut through for exactly the same reason. Anyhow, the lashed herself into a perfect fury while the preliminaries were being arranged, and almost roared the roof off. "Couldn't you give her chloro f orm or something ?" suggested one of the bystanders. " Chloroform!" was the reply. "It would take all the chloroform in London to do any good here." It was only strategy which overcome Begum at last. For nearly 10 minutes she kept the keepers and their rope at bay, plunging and struggling in her own uuwieldy way, and sweariug horribly all the time. Her next door neighbour, the great Indian rhinoceros, went wild with ularni at the noice and disturbance, and kept hurling itself into the cornero of its den with its whole weight and might, until the corner* were red with blood. Begum, meant : me, after much hesitating suspicion, had been beguiled into stepping over the innocent-looking rope which hadbeen stretched over the ground in front of her, and before her hind legs could follow the front the end of the rope had been thrown over her body, the noose made tight, and the process of binding her complete. " Good old Begum," said one of the keepers tenderly as he ventured just within her reach. " Good old Begum " only snorted, threw round her head, and the man went sprawling for his .pains. It was Begum's last chance, however. Eighteen men hauled her up to the bars of her den ; others went inside to take her legs prisoners with their ropc-s, \while another rope gripped her round the head, with the object of bringing the offending horn within reach of Mr Bartlett, who, with two evil-looking saws—specially ground and prepared for the occasion was patiently waiting his opportunity. There was another scene when the saws begans their work, and it was only after many attempts and much commotion on the patient's p.irt that Mr Bartlett got even half-way through. Begum by that time had plainly had more than enough of it, and, renewing her desperate struggles, almost broke away. "She's got a wonderful second wind," said another of the perspiring keepers, after she had been pinioned clown again. " You never know when she's done for." But Begum after that was nearly exhausted, aud Mr Thomson, the heid keeper, continuing the operation inside the cage, plied the two saws in turn —both now considerably bent—until the cause of all the mischief fell with a thump on the floor. The piece was carried away by Mr Bartlett in triumph. "I'm going to put it with the lump that came off before," he said laughingly—while Begum herself settled down to a feast of dry biscuits.