HARD TIMES AT A ZOO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23109, 6 August 1938, Page 9 (Supplement)

HARD TIMES AT A ZOO

vre read recently of the ! terrible floods in Hollywood and Los Angeles, that rendered so many thousands of people homeless and helpless, few of us would stop to think of the plight of animals in this catastrophe. Bat the park belonging to the California Zoological Society was seriously damaged and many of its fine animals drowned. For three weeks the place was in chaos. The gates had to be closed while cages were repaired and debris removed. This interesting zoo, run as a non-profit-making enterprise, depends fbr its revenue on admission fees and occasional sums paid by film companies for the loan of its animal film stars. With income cut off. the animals had to be put on half rations, then on less and still less, Until some became too weak to stand on their feet. The raanager worked without salary so that the money could go for their food. The situation finally became so serious that the City Humane Depart-

ment announced that the animals would have to be painlessly put out.of the way and the zoo closed. Immediately cheques began to pour in. Actors and actresses in Hollywood, who knew the animals personally, sent big cheques; a circus sent a contribution f Los Angeles schoolchildtgn put their pennies together to help, and suddenly people who had not been to the zoo for months became curious to know how the poor animals were- Gate receipts mounted, with the result -ihat the situation was savjed.