Evening Star Newspaper, November 4, 1923, Page 73

Part 5—8 Pages lv GENE THOMAS. HUMAN baby arrives and new papa and mamm admit they have quite a problem. How to feed, how to -clothe and A how to quiet the newcomer often |. Puzzle them, But, at worst, their little darling fean not bite, sting or kick as can most of the babies which the stork leaves in care of W. H. .Blackburne, Neadkeeper of the Naitlonal -Zoologl- al Park here in Washington, D. C. ' One hundred animals have been born in the zoo this year. 100 were born last year. More than In- short, during the thirty-three years Black-) burne has superintended the Na- tiona) Zoo's inhabitants he has ac- cepted from a generous ‘stork’ more than 3,000 baby animals. . They have varied from a baby hum- ming bird, weighing less than'a hun- dredth of an ounce, to a hippopota- mus, which weighed forty-five pounds at birth, Each birthday brought a problem all its own. But the. “bringing up” of this mammoth menagerie—a task Teside which old Noah's feat pales— is what has put gray hairs above Headkeeper Blackburne's fatherly | Tac Xty-two just-born boa constrict- ors, each a foot long and as thick a&s 2 pencil, needed me in a hurry once,” i { Blackburne recailed. “The big brown mother serpent, which just had increased so greatly ‘the zoo's population, .was about to undo the accomplishent by crushing her little ones to death. She was coiling up, with no concern whether or not the thick ten feet of her body volled over them. I quickly pulled them from the mother's * side and lodged them in a separate glass case. “In a week the sixty-two little boas were doing nlcely, each eating a mouse a day to prove it.” Serving them their dinner alive was tried by Blackburne for a few days. But sixty-two mouths and squirming bodies soon became tangled in their pursuit of the nimble mice. To over- come this Blackburne tapped the anice unconscious and then distributed them to the little boas. A fresh sup- ply of mice was gathered each morn- ing from traps placed about the zoo. Most animal parents give their Xeeper more co-operation than did Mother Boa Constrictor. Mrs. Brown Bear is praised by Blackburne as an example of this. “When the bears -entered their stone dens for the hibernation period last autumn 1 thought the brown bear would come out -accompanied by cubs. . : of...i “Christmas week 1 began listening, at the den entrance for sounds of the cubs. January 4 I heard them. On days fpliowing their faini squeaks grew to grunts of satisfaction, so I knew the little bears were being nourished and cared for properly. “The mother did not bring them near enough the door 0 I could learn how many cubs she had until four months after their birth. But When she did appear, late In April,| shq brought aleng three healthy, {rolicking cubs. * “Once a mother bear neglected her cubs. I could hear thelr cries for nourishment becoming weaker and weaker each day. But there was no ‘ way I could help. To enter the low, dark den of the cross she-bear would have been courting death. So the cubi died.” * % * % . IKE Mother Brown Bear., Mother « Plains Wolf kept Blackburne guessing the size of her family when the stork left quadruplets in her dem last April 9. She, with her little pups, stayed .inside a week after the birth, Father Plains Wolf standing guard at the den entrance. And for several weeks after the pups crawled out into the sunlight, their mother. scooted them inside at the approach of man. This trait of Yeeping thelr young secluded is com- mon among the Zoo's bears and wolves, their keeper sald. Dame Peaccck, however, goes them one better. She surprised the keeper last June by presenting him with a flock of youngsters he was not even expecting. Allowed the freedom ‘of the 170- mcre park, the bird sauntered off to a secluded nook and made her nest. Just about the time kecpers missed one of their peacocks, she strutted into sight, proudly leading ten little fowl. Anxious to exhibit her brood to less” fortunate animals, she paraded them for miles. Her vanity proved. costly, however. The march, much of it through wet grass, was so strenu- ous on the little ones that several died. Bears, wolves and peacocks are only j & few of the bables which have come to the'Zoo this ¥ Some ather 1923 arrivals, listed in-the National’ Zoo birth register are: Two lions, two ti- gors, twenty deer, one ‘buffalo, four ; kangaroos, four monkeys, twenty- clght night herrons and other rare birds and one Rocky Mountain®goat. The larger the baby animal, the longer it clings to_fits mother's side for pourishment and care, Blackburne has observed. Small birds leave their nests nou! & week after being hatched. birds lay in nests a month. x-nnroo i stay In their mother’s pouch the best |- part of elght months. Hippopota- miipes require parental nourishment Y tention for & year atier birth. en after young possum leave thelr mother’s pouch, they cling, by thdth and foot, to' the long hairs of thel# parent’siside and back. Mother Possum for weeks must waddle about ! jer ¢age, welghted down by a dozen 1ittié possums, lodged. “ah over Ber | back. ‘Wild Animals in | s Three Thousand Born Smce W H. Blackburnc Became Head Keeper Have. Made Hlm Nurse, Dietitian, Tutor and God- father—Boa Constrictor Gave Park Sixty-two Littlé Boas One Mormng—]ungle Babes Break Bones Learning Cage Rods Will Not Yield—Have Toys Aplenty—Food Raised and Prepared on Zoo Grounds—Lion’ Chnstened in Hotel—Wlxy the Skunk Was Not Named Henry Cabot Lodge. s £ k e % bia.dkbunte . and the lion cub by he taised ow = the boz.'tlu afte s mother _Eried to Kifiit [ Young kangaroos and deer instinc- tively seek new grass to nibble, but | cul their paren'ts have worn this off the corral-ground. The youngsters learn only alowly to approach piles of hay and vegetablea® which keepers give them. Once the Zoo's_bables start seelng their world) for* themsélvés * Black- burne's’ worries are doubled.’ ? Stralght for . the . swimming pdol, twice deep enough to drown them, headed Mrs. Brown Bear’s triplets as Soon as they came wabbllnl from their gen. ~Luckily theére was*no water in it and Blackburhe ‘boarded up the pool to 2 depth of ome foot before flooding it. Young, animals. break, their bones, cut and bruise.themselves, untl they learn, they . were. born "capfives. ‘A lion cub, nheriting & love Of Toving, expects ‘an iron rod’thick ah_fts’ leg to. ‘bend like ,a waod a8, jt rushes against it. A beau thl 1oun¢ deer cently broke its neck when ‘it raced across. its” paddock: and lesped” Into tho ‘fence. ' Untll hia éhai doctoring | them. What' bothers ' the * wlm ppts so much ° tim, the r, young skins'are QBDB Jeot to files’ fiy" washing, ail, his. fuveniles, Bt has not enough. assistants .to .apply washes, frequently -enough,, and, be: sides, some, youngster would be to lick off his “anti-fiy” and get'a tummyach Crossness of .their own n.mm i a danger . from which" new-borns- muist. be protected. Mre. .Bast Afrl u«:n MM Proud Bear Mama howla delighted. | the :Zo6 with: twins last:May 20, . Bix 1y to Bear Papa If their little one taky e of four or five monthd. Browne Bear's" ‘tripléts, when four as brakes. EEE L] mals slower to scrateh for them- pelves ‘than they would be ‘otherwise not uncommon, Blackburne said, months old, only comid slide along | babi stones in their cage, uging their legs ! every orning ' and: afternoon.’ “Hav- | ing no perambuintor, she carried her | young in' her.mouth, eatlike;; IAPTIVITY makes thi¢ Zoo's ‘anl- Mmmnm weeks later. ‘she. ‘almost ‘killed..the “The lioness held to- the l’u!}l‘l ‘should 'be given:an hour's:rife to watch 8 mother bird.wrest s cholcs | floor, ’I-M fish from anotier bird and-bring’tae|® rizé to her full-ghown, yet lnnhx son, | the eu’e el hj,mont bu Ea.lg calfea s ayl ch hig mothei;/ _ v/ M,thlsAmcuca.n.) to_completelk-trample life-from her “Its head whs twisted upside down, its back was wrenched and & hind leg was broken. I.administered first aid, ‘and, keeping it in my office, brought 4t up on a bottle. ;The; cub's weight jumped from- four. to- gix prunds in ‘two weeks.. Her broken leg mended and she became quite frisky. It'tried ‘to ‘open desk'drawers, tugged at my, [. trousers and raceéd about the ofiIca ln circlés. “I offered the cub a-little s horse flesh -ground fine—when she was two and. &, half, months old. She smelled it, sucked it-and-finally ate A bit.. Soon shé’'became quite rav: ous, eating horse- flesh, ‘pigeon and ground ‘bone. “When Wanda .adopted this hu?y diet. I'transferred. her: frfom my offica {a.separate clige, a huge nursery ard’ i Instead'of the white enameled ‘wooden:staves whiéh surrovnd baby's ‘was;hedged in by black’ {'yard,’ Wan iron-rods’reinforcea by -meshed wige. - 7I_gave her two:wooden; blocks 'play with‘as substitute for-my desk 'a wluy bal bo\lt thelr cage., And’ mim—vhv. mopt ehudun " will ‘inglined - Iadder, rings, ‘ropés and used his first step before reaching | More :popular: - of fln air.t Httle | each p b Bykinio s | Wands Edoh:: .« 3 i [ Cook. C. “C.-Trevey.: ‘ - Preparing 3,600 square bme “just snother ‘with Trevey. 300 kitchen 'in 191 /Quantities and varieties ‘of - food" baby animals’devour dally st the'age R - when they> stop 'receiving ‘nourish- \ment. lfro mothers are. -shown, in tr Brown Bear: : two.d witich sflf‘it into btt",g J.surm?,. poaol vefore q could: swimy. More' than “150° pounds’ floating in’ thiree 'long va the wall.oppostite 'the doorw: mafy fish, our bird: _|11ons eat every day,” Trevey “Yes, we haVe no hap: *lacrawled ona cloth mvuflng the fruit case, standing next fo'the ‘fish vat. Bohind the cloth were.apples, oranges, pears and the heralded bananas. two . boxes .of ‘| muses, monkeys, smail birds non-carniverous animals./ ir -sxxhundwavs ware. 04 Aa,ro re rod fu.Zao kitmx q'q ‘c.e Tieveq ‘P pa- lions, tigers and wolves, .waich .{Bone "before” they have eook explained. orange; (chopped - fine and-fiavored with on- |minlature of & butch ;meals ;- {ion] led ric umoqmn(ull Wa- |sections of Morse m day’for the %oo's 1,800 animals has|ter. 1 pentul. 3 along the wall. Pieces of pork edd a day's work” |’ Wor nippoputamus. (1 vesr.ol)= [few sku::;p :hbm are sandwiched He took ehnn t th between the. horsefle Vs Fodand "}' n"‘r‘:;'o;;:?:"‘:; '3 |mest stand, freshiy, scrubbed. buteh mx i 2 h ‘mest portions will ‘and dinner deliglit —graliam bread. blocks, ; 0 droma of biking’ ‘brénd drifted out. e carved. : Sl thie laoe pabies 1 “"'| “Horse meat 15 forilions, tigersand pared with the’ gredtent chitton“tn’ & | 0 olves” ot small and large.~ Notice Jetean, twotatory Kitohen, located:be- | the- stamp . on: both -hursefiesh and the birdhouse. To:this: butlding |Dork, which shows it has b:;n rucks - of | Ined and found heaithy veoy ‘."""h ;. - States government inspectors, Coak Wuhlnm- butcn-fl. akers, ' fish | Trevy - said. - “Pork, 5 I'bears: when they are Tigh, wire cage: bread. . The dark brown (loavés were about forty Inch knee and exert himself to hreak.it. fish: were against “This ‘Bears rand sea- stale btu‘t sald; Trevey, pointing.to the :lemd of the room 6n,the right.of the entratice. ) “Mush made ' from - those ~|stale ‘loaves of ‘bread, rolls and buns * Between bread * boxes _and door tands 'a bone-ginding ‘machtne, with méat saw and cleaver béside it: “The teeth ' for young need i Desgending tD t..he floflr bdb' one came upon: the Zao, bakery..This plant ‘| nroduces the bears' breskfast, lunch Three’ ovens ‘of ‘hotel-kitchen propor- tions Al orle’ end' of the’ lower. room. ‘Trevey ‘openédsan oven door ‘and-the * In.the centér of the room 'stood six filled - with: finished twenty Inches” widé ‘and’ four inches thick... Trevey had to place one on his \“The bread is.two.days' old when we feed. it. to the .bears. . They consume Children three cages full or 300 pounds a day." its maker stated. Next to the bread cages were pots of newly bofled rice. ‘“Twenty pounds of this day makes our #mall animals srow,” Trevey commented. * 'k % x N the other end of the room is'the vegetable supply—troughs full ‘of beets, onfons, carrots, sweet and ‘white potatoes, kale, lettuce -and -cabbage. “The zoo's Inhabitants eat a_bushel of each of these vegetables a day. Deer, kangaroo and monkeys are -especlally fond of them,” Keeper Blackburne said. “‘Our own twenty-five-acre farm pro- duces all the beets, carrots, potatoes, lettuce, kale and cabbage we need. 'It is located nesr the Adams Mill road entrance to the park. “Flve years from now we will be plcking our own apples. Gardener W. T. King planted an eighteen-tree apple orchard beside the farm last spring. | That should bear fruit by ‘1928 Naming of his pets, Blackburne con- | siders after having taught them to eat |and play without getting burt. Many names are proposed for z00 newcomers, but few are chosen If they exceed one syllable. Little Wanda Lion was given a two- syllable name because the entire Lions' Club of the District of Columbfa re- quested this. Wanda's twin sister was named “Rose.” Other cognomiens Blackburne gives 200 bables are “Pete.” “Jim" and “Doug.” “Wealthy Jay Gould's father set us an example in name-giving. He said he named his son ‘Jay,’ in- |stead of Percival or Algerngnm, so0 that when he wanted him, he cawld call "him guick. When -keepers com- mand animals, we, too, have to do it quick, Blackburne explained. “While Roosevelt was' president, 1 was urged to name animals ‘Teddy.’ Friends of the idea declared this would be a fitting tribute to ‘the great hunter and explorer, who do- nated many of his catches to the National Zoo. But not a single sni- al was named ‘Teddy.' “Naming of all zoo animals after Congressmen, who represented states from which they came, has been proposed also. Blackburne rejected this suggestion, too, chiefly because he did not think the nation's” lead- ers would feel complimented to have their names so used. ‘What if the highly respected sena- tor from Massachusetts learned that 2 Massachusetts skunk bore the name “Henry” or “Cabot” or “Lodge,$sip- posed Blackbourne. Besfdes, it would »| have given keepers a maze of names to remember, many of “Wiiich they could riot call quickly. Only & few of the s00's snimajs— Blackburne's favorites—are named. Mrs. Brown Bear's tripjets were not named. Nor were e ' kangaroo’ yo\ln‘llnrs Nor the tiger's. Nor the * ok ¥ HRISTENING of baby = Wanda Lion was quite cersmonions. She was bathed and brushed, first of all. Then she was cagried to an auto- mébile, in which, on Godfather Black- burne's 1ap, siic rode to the hotel, 'where the Lions club was to lunch. She and Godfather Biackbourne were given places at the head table. There she was raised above hieads of the clubmen and christened “Wanda."” How different from the christening of her sister, “Rose Lion.” One morn- ing she heard Blackbourne call. her “Rose.” That is ‘the umual way of naming those animals so fortunate to win names. What happens to .zoo bables when they grow up? “May a Washington resident buy or be presented one of the z00’ wild pets?” is the question Blackburne is lasked sometimes. z e “No,” he answers. “Most animals_born In thé Na- tional Zoo are sent io other' z00s in the United States. These 2008 give in return young animals which are not yet in the national collectibn. Only {f our parent dnirmal”is ‘ap- proaching death do we 'keep one of her oftspring. “During the-past’ year we sent a young hippopotamus and bear cubs to the St. Louis, Mo., 200; two tigér cubs to the Bronx, N. Y., 200, and two lflnr cubs to Baltimore's zvo.'Some- tlmeu we exchul\se young animals with circuses. “Separating mother and young is diMcult. We took the little tigers away by coaxing them into, ‘a foot- baited cage, which was snapped shut and hauled from the pareht's prison as soon as the young entered. Young deer, timed and fearful of - contact with humans, have to be coaxed, whén hungry, with cholce food. Even then, it sometimes- takes hours to’bring them within our grasp. “Mothers, robbed of .their: youiig, react in various ways. The great_ hippopotamus . takes ‘to water and remains compietely spb- merged for the best part of several days. She-wolves wail many hogrs after their little pups are. taken away. Mother lions roar for their cubs, then, grief-stricke P their heads and pace the ca “Most- of our animal bables stay.in their native zoo at least a yer. I {would not ship them away unfll they are thoroughly independent of parental care, and besides—— “Washington people deserve twelve months of the fun they get by watch- ing the anties of their Zco's baby antmals® . Reduction in Spou. From the Misneapolls Tribdae. Skinném had-lavénted s new nat restorer, and had sent & large' number Lot sample bottles out to various wel known péople in the hope of securing some - testimonials for advertising purposes. s PR ST R “I don't know whether to publish or not,” he sald to a8 friend who' was .calling- upon him as'he was opening the-letters. “What does it uyr‘ inquired the it -says,” uld the proud in- “Before I.uséd your hair-re- flhm!hlflt‘h?‘lbfldml" §t have only one s/ > .. A -