COSTLY WILD ANIMALS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 6 July 1927, Page 7

COSTLY WILD ANIMALS

MELBOURNE'S ZOO FAMILY

HIGH CHARGES FOR FREIGHT

A year alter the director of the Melbourne Zoo, Air. A. \\ . Wilkie, computed that the collection in his menagerie was worth approximately £l3,uoi>, says a. writer in the “Melbourne Herald,” comes information from an independent source that these animals were not over-valued. A price list has been received from

Mr. Carl Hagen beck, of Stolligon. near Hamburg, alio, with Mr. Bruce Chapman, F.Z.S., of London, shares the reputation of being the world's largest wild animal dealer, and liis prices show, if anything, that Air. Wilkie did not make sufficient allowance for the cost of Jreignt, food, and insurance during transport saied 011 the foreign animals already in Melbourne. The Zoo had lost several interesting animals by death, and i.t was! with a view of investigating how this loss could be repaired economically that

’ Mr. Jlagenbeck was invited to send particulars, especially of South American animals, a rhinoceros and certain of the smaller mammals considered “ suitable for acclimatisation. In his " reply the dealer emphasises the high charges for freight and insurance, lne freight tor a rhinoceros,” Air. * Hagen beck writes, “would be about £6l), and for wild animals smaller than lions about £'K> for every 40 cubic feet. The question of the care of .the ’ animals on board during the voyage f would Jiave to be settled with the ’ steamer line. In general we are insuring them only against loss of ship 1 and stranding, and only if the more : valuable animals are included against all risk. In such a ease the premium is considerable, and would have to bo agreed to in every case.” Mr. Wilkie valued his lions ami his leopards at £SO each, but if these had U> bo replaced from Europe £SO would be only sufficient to cover freight and insurance. On such a Jong voyage a box sft. over all (125 cubic feet) would be only just sufficiently roomy for a leopard, and. the charge ior freight would be more than £3O. To this would have to he added the value of tlie animal f.o.b. Hamburg For a baby jaguar—an animal three times as rare as a leopard—his charge is L'll2 IDs. so another £3O would have to he added, making the cost, of a leopard landed at Melbourne nearer L'icO Ilian £SO. Some years ago the Council of tbe Royal Zoological Society paid £SOO for a babv rhino which sickened and died within a few weeks of purchase. I’rices quoted show that if the Zoo Council decided to augment the menagerie by spending £IOOO a great deal of that sum would have to he devoted to the charges for freight and insurance.