Show Can Baby Elephant Survive Asks AsIs Science as Birth in Nears ears N i 1 p ri I 44 Upper photo p ft ti shows a group o of children en enjoying a visit with their favorite zoo frien r end d t h c elephant ele hart Right Ri This ht-This This is Nan Nancy y yC cy C about whom naturalists are speculating regarding the care she will twill give her prospective L jj 4 offspring No baby elephant in Mj previous history in the United u has survived 7 ft v w u By RICHARD A. A KELLY Released by Western Newspaper Union CHICAGO Natural Natural ILL Natural Natural- have their eyes turned to- to toward toward ward vard Brookfield zoo near Chicago For there some time during August or September a baby elephant is expected to o be born This is a big event not only because of the principals in in- involved involved involved but because it may provide the answer to a riddle that hat has puzzled scientists for generations Will the baby pachyderm thus born in cap- cap captivity captivity live and be successfully reared eared to adulthood Never before in the United States has las a baby elephant survived in- in infancy fancy ancy So as the keepers at the zoo oo are preparing the colossal ob- ob obstetrical obstetrical ward for Nancy a buxom ton five Ceylonese elephant scientists scientists are arc asking each other what are the he chances of her offspring grow grow- growIng Ing ng up into a fine strapping pachy pachy- p pachyderm chy- chy derm erm Based on experience tables these chances seem rather dim Four times before in history in this coun- coun country country try ry a female elephant has labored and nd brought forth young Four times did id she attempt to murder her calf and nd then savagely refuse to nurse it t. t Four times did the baby Jumbos die ie after aCter a short and pathetic exist exist- ence nee The mother in each of these cases was Princess Alice an ele ele- elephantine elephantine ele- ele elephantine trouper with the Sells Flo to o circus of a generation ago Tragic Jinx But will the tragic jinx that fol fol- followed lowed owed Princess Alice also pursue Nancy Not necessarily says Robert Bean lean curator of mammals at the Brookfield zoo In the case of the previous four births he said because the same mother bore all four calves it is possible that she was an exception which might not occur again She evidently had some idiosyncrasy that made motherhood murderously dis dis- distasteful distasteful distasteful tasteful to her Her experience docs does not necessarily mean that all fe fe- female female fe- fe female male elephants would behave the same way It is a matter of record that one elephant calf was born bornand bornand bornand and successfully reared in a Berlin Germany zoo The same thing might occur at the Brookfield zoo It It is well known however that some species of elephants do not re re- reproduce reproduce produce in captivity Because of the he extreme rarity of elephant births their reaction cannot be predicted Nancy Is Docile Nancy unlike her predecessor Princess Alice is a docile animal She is only 24 years old or much younger than Alice We are pre pre- preparing preparing preparing paring to take every precaution to prevent accidents from marring a 8 successful birth Nancy will be given every encouragement possible possible possible ble to be a Q normal mother She will not be separated from the oth oth- other other other er elephants unless it becomes absolutely absolutely absolutely necessary We hope that accustomed sur sur- surroundings will have a calming ef ef- effect effect feet and induce Nancy to assume her motherly duties Toward her baby at once I If she refuses however the lit lit- little little little tle calf will be fed cows' cows milk mills We believe this will be a Q successful di di- dietary dietary dietary procedure if it the young ele ele- ele- ele is closely watched for adverse effects So in the weeks to come the an an- answer answer answer will be found to the question whether a baby elephant can sur sur- survive survive survive vive infancy in America If It the an an- answer answer answer is yes then a new trend will begin But if the answer is no then the story of Princess Alice may be re re- re- re That story made newspaper headlines before and during the World war It was immortalized in ina ina a chapter in Bene Fowlers Fowler's book Timberline First in United States It was on a spring afternoon In 1912 near the close of the matinee that Princess Nice Alice delivered the first baby elephant ever born In America Fred Allspaw the circus elephant trainer and his aides were midwives As a precaution during labor they pulled a burlap sack over her eyes But once the infant was Vas born things began to happen The nearness of humans enraged I IVas the mother writes Fowler She lowered her great head flexed her wrinkled knees and then rolled upon her baby with intent to kill tried to reassure her to implore Al AI Alice ice to rise of her own free will Her answer was a lashing blow of the trunk knocking the trainer a full 20 feet across the sawdust floor She had shaken off the burlap blinder glimpsing her pound son afresh and renewing the murderous attack Attendants used wooden bars as levers to pry her heaving belly from the squealing newcomer They applied elephant hooks to her defiant defiant defiant ant trunk and brought other per per- persuasive persuasive persuasive instruments into play Fi Fl Finally FInally nally the hysterical mother reared to fight off oft the men and now they dragged the bewildered half sated calf to safety He stood as though puzzled by a world which greeted strangers with such sudden ugly brutality Description of or Calf CalC The calf relates Mr Fowler looked like a fatigued fati eater ant was pink all over and had a trunk six inches long Black hairs bristled from his blushing hide He was 24 inches high and 36 30 from tip to tail taU Zoologists everywhere were con concerned with the youngsters youngster's future The mother refused to nurse it She attempted to kill it when it ap ap- ap- ap The baby was fed a mix mix- mixture mixture mixture ture of Jersey milk and nd condensed milk from a bottle Two months after birth it fell ill and died An autopsy revealed a putty like sub sub- substance substance substance stance in the calf's large intestines indicating digestive faults Three times more within six years was this tragic story repeated Each time Princess Alice Allce tried to crush her infant to death and each time attendants were able to save the calf after a tremendous battle All of the baby elephants died within a afew afew afew few weeks from the same cause digestive disturbances Event Attracts Attention two Twenty-two years have passed since the birth and death of the last baby elephant in America Thus In in- Interest interest Interest terest inevitably centers on Nancys Nancy's approaching accouchement at the Brookfield zoo Whether it lives or not Nancy baby will be he the hugest ever born bornat at the zoo Although a hippopotamus mus weighs pounds its off of spring weigh less than 50 An ele ele- elephant elephant elephant calf tips the scales close to pounds and stands about three feet high |