ANIMAL CARGOES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23002, 1 April 1938, Page 10

ANIMAL CARGOES

FIRST KINKAJOTJ ARRIVES A CIRCUS GOES TO SEA WANGANELLA'S SHIPMENT The first kinkajou to bo exhibited at the Auckland Zoo arrived yesterday morning by the steamer Romney, having been obtained from the San Diego Zoological Garden and shipped at San Pedro. A young male, it made the voyage in good condition and appeared perfectly healthy on arrival. This animal, which is about the size of a cat, has its habitat in Central America. It is related to the raccoon family and lias a tail longer than its body. The normal food of a kinkajou includes honey, fruit and small birds, but its staple diet on the voyage across the Pacific comprised two green bananas daily.

In a case on the Pomnev's deck, the kinkajou',s presence was hardly noticed iu the daylight hours. During the day it lay in a corner, with paws shielding its eyes against the light, but at niglit it grew more lively and took food. Although the kinkajou was the most interesting animal carried by the Pomney, the steamer had an unusual number of livestock in pens about the decks. There were two sows and a boar of a Tamworth typo known in Canada as Eureka Ked, a Berkshire boar, three rams avid five ewes of pure Cheviot breed. Most of these animals are consigned to the south. Tho liner Wanganella carried an entire circus when she left last night for Sydney. A number of elephants, who had walked up a ramp into the ship, were shackled on the forward well-deck, directly beneath the navigating bridge, and tigers, panthers, ponies and other animals were housed in holds. Keen interest in the loading work was shown by numbers of onlookers.