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Show I J ANTELOPE SENT INTO OKLAHOMA j 1 ' Government Seeks to Preserve j ' Pronghorned Species On .; Game Refuge i w l v Washington, l''cb. 3. Onnio Wnrden B' Ruth, of tho Wlrhltn gnmo refuge In B: 'I the Stuto of Oklahoma, 1iih infmmetl H. ' tho Department of Agriculture of the j j receipt In good condition of eight B head of antelope, which canio from the H t National herd In tho Yellowstone I'nrk. H J Through tho generosity of members B ottho Hone and Crockett club of B New York, funds were furnished for B f cn)tnrlng and transporting thoao nni- Bfl ' ' ' nulls from Wyoming to Oklahoma HJ ,k The news of tho nrrlvnl of the ante- Bb l' lopo at their destination has livn ic- Bb eclved with sntlsfnctlon by tin Dopail- Bfl ment officials, who are much interest- Bfl ed in tho ntemtpt to preserve this In- H tercstlng game animal. HI Tho pronghorned antelope Is unlike H any other antelope on the face of BJ- tho earth, nnd has so many peculiar- HJ ttlcs that naturnllsts class It in n BM family by Itself. Formerly existing by Bfl thousands on our open western plains, BM ' It has now been so reduced In numbers BY that Its absolute extinction Is certain BJ In the very near future unless protec- BM ', tlon is given to tho fow remaining. It BC i docs not do well cast of tho Missis- BJ i slppl river, and can not bo succes- BJ fully bread In captivity; but it thrives BM' i if allowed to roam practically freo BB, within large enclosures nnd under BM i " conditions closely approaching the BM ' natural ones. aaaV j , In 190S the Wologlcnl survey call- BMi: mated that tho total number of ante- BM I lope in the United Stntes had been MB reduced to 17,000. Of these about 10,- BM ' 000 wero In Montana, Wyoming nnd MB 1 tho Yellowstone National Park, and BM I the rcmnlnlng 7,000 wcro doHtrihuted MM I! in 12 other stntes. MB 'f On tha Wichita game refuge, It is MMM i hoped that the antelope will find MMM themselves In surrouudings suited to MB their Increase. The Wichita Is really BM a National forest, and Game Wnrden BM Hush' acts ns its supervisor and at- MMM tends to all tho business involved In MMY its administration. Hut on the Wichita MMM which was set aside by act of Con- MB gross ns 'a national game rcfugn bo- MB cause of Its especial suitability to net MB ns a bleeding plnco for tha wild crcn- MMM tures of the plains nnd lower Rocky BM Mountain regions, tho Importance of MMM "le Rnino work lias overshadowed the MB ordinary uses of a National forest. BM There aro over ir0 national forests, MB mt onb' two national game refuges. MB 'I'1'" does luit niean that outside ot MB thoso rofuges tho gnmo on tho nn- MMf ' tlonnl forests is not protected, for the BX national forest officers aro uniformly BM i Instructed to seo that the gnme laws MB ' r lll various states are obsorved on MB their forests, In -so far ns tlioy can do BM this In justice to their other duties. BM i Mnny of tho forest officers nre regu- MB huly appointed deputy state game MB wardens, nnd it is tho policy of the MB Department of Agriculture to encour- BJ i ngo their nctlng In this capacity when BJ they enn do so without prejudice to BJ their work as forest ofricers. They BJ ,lro '"". however, oxpocted to go off BJ tho forests in order to enforco the BJ gnmo laws of the mules, nor can they BJ mnko enforcement of gnmo laws tholr BJ " principal occupation. Tho work of n BJ forest officer In looking utter Uncle J - Si'i8 nffnirs generally Insures his BJ . ,,e,"B n Pretty busy man, and what BJ i ll0 (,ocs I" enforcing gnmo lnws can J ""'J' I" iucldentnly to selling timber. J piotecting tho forests from fires, look- BJ J ,,lg atu'r 8ri'B ninters. and respond- J '"8 to tho various other calls which J 8" of tho forests by tho public In- BJ volvos. J Ordinarily, game matters pertain to BJ I ' tl10 8taU's- 'l ot to tho national BJ ' government. Tho stnto prescribes BJ 1 len and under what conditions gnmo Bft ! I,lll.v ho killed. If it desires to prohibit BF' tM0 Wiling of gnmo In certain parts BM, . I f tho stnto, In order that tho game MB 1 ma)' bleed there, nnd these parts ot MB ,the states aro within the nntlonnl for- MB csts. tho government oo-operntes with MB '! ; , "lo statu to carry out tho law. Such MB ), co-operntlon may rcqulro tho closing H ' of fixed nrens of tho National forests H i to grazing, for whon big gnmo be- H ' I comes plentiful It must linvo a suffl- H 3 ciont food supply left on tho rango MB I -to carry It through tho winter, or it MB will succumb for lack of sustenance. MK. If tho range is fully utilized by cattle MB , , ' and Bheop during tho summer, olkR MMs, ' nml fleer w,lt ffll' l'ar'Hy In tho win- MB f , f tcr. MBsVt ' In tho Wichita nnd tho Grnnd Can- MBll ' " yon Bamo rof uges tho government has MB- not ,oft tno rnnttor of caring for game J protection wholly to tho states, but J nflR cstabllshod national reservations BJ cn vIi,ch nn "'tempt will bo made to BM' BBMk. Ureed Bnm0, Tho wlchlt( 's notablo BMMMB)BMBMMB ' t,.s for tho fact that it has a smnll herd of buffalo upon It, which the game wnrden regards as the apple of his eye. They were donated by tho American Ameri-can Bison society and shipped from tho Now York Zoological gnrden li 1908. They then numbered 1G, an 1 have slnco been increased by the nd-dltion nd-dltion of 10 calves; two or tho original origin-al herd .howover, died In tho flt year. To tho buffaloes nro now added tho antelope. Tho nntelopo were shipped from Yellowstone Park, nnd havo been liberated lib-erated In ono of tho buffalo yards which had been prepared for them. They will bo given more and bettor rango ns soon ns a proper wiro enclosure en-closure enn be made. Two additional head aro expected to follow the eight already received. Slnco tho antelope, once so abundant on the plains, is in serious danger of entire extinction, tills attempt to establish tho species on tho Wichita gnmo preservo will bo wnlchcd with interest by nil who wish to see our nntivo wild animals given n clinnro to pcrpctunto themselves, though surrounded by civilization. |