WHAT HAVE THE AUCKLAND ZOO OFFICIALS TO SAY ABOUT THE LEOPARD'S ESCAPE ?

NZ Truth, Issue 1035, 26 September 1925, Page 7

WHAT HAVE THE AUCKLAND ZOO OFFICIALS TO SAY ABOUT THE LEOPARD'S ESCAPE ?

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PUBLIC SAFETY SHOULD, AND JUST, BE FIRST CONSIDERATION

(From "Truth's" '". Special Auckland Rep.)

What are the Auckland Zoo Authorities thinking about ? Responsible for the care of a number of wild beasts they appear to take their responsibilities m safeguarding the public, to say the least, somewhat casually. If not, why is it possible for a female Leopard to" escape from captivity and roam at large to the

imminent peril of citizens ?

The fact that next to, tlie Zoological Park there are 50 workers' v dwellings, m which live at least 150' children, only serves to aggravate the seriousness of the laxity on the part of the authorities, and iri the interests of public safety ■■'.' Truth" demands that the Zoo authorities shall take steps ■■ ■> ' to see that m future the safety of people, children especially, is not set at nought by any carelessness that enables jungle beasts to roam at large. • <

The escape of the Leopard from the Zoo last week calls for a prompt and complete explanation. The cage was regarded as animal proof. How then comes it .that the spotted fury walked out to liberty, unfettered, free to spring out on unsuspecting victims ? Is it a case of a careless keeper leaving the cage door open ? There seems to be no other explanation.

T la a far cry from the wilds, of the Indian jungle to the Auckland Zoo. There is a tremendous difference, too between life 'there and here. At all events that is perhaps what struck the female leopard which arrived at

the northern capital last week aboard the Sussex from Calcutta. She was m her new quarters m captivity for only two days when . she disappeared and was not seen for a week afterwards.

THE SPOTTED FURY. The question which is agitating the. minds of thousands of people m Auckland is where, is she, and is she alive or dead? It is- naturally uncomfortable for those m the vicinity to have the knowledge that there might be prowling about their back-yard a spotted fury which has not yet got over the first rude shocks of captivity. A dense cloud of mystery surrounds the disappearance of the animal. It was stated that theleopard was last seen on Wednesday afternoon. She was then m . her house. ■ In fact, since being deposited m her new quarters she has shown no inclination to make friends with h.er partner who was widowed some time ago. And he made gallant advances to : make up to the new spouse. !But the cage is animal-proof m construction. It is of iron bars four inches apart, over which there is a four-inch mesh of thick wire. Overhead this construction forms a roof, : and the closest inspection fails to -'disclose ,the merest vestige of possibility <f or escape by any other means than through, a door. WHAT KEEPERS SAY. The keepers are of course positive that there were no doors open, but sub -conscious, action has frequently had more drastic consequences than the escape of a leopard. The question resolves itself into a contest between' the assurances pf the keepers and the security of the cage, with always the possibility of human error. The theory of the open door seems irresistible". Owing to the coyness of the animal. there is every chance that she got many hours' freedom ere her absence was discovered. A very close search of the whole of the 'Zoo induced the conclusion that the spotted lady had made good. her escape and got over the fence of the Zoo, which would be nothing for. a beast with her climbing proclivities. Since her escape there has been an unceasing beating and searching of the locality. Setters and terriers have been requisitioned and brought into service, but without result. THE ONLY TRACE. The only traces of the wanderer are her pjnv marks, and these have been tracked to the tannery close to the Zoo. Following up this clue, it is surmised that she sprang into the building-, which is m a state of bad repair, through a window.

- - It is thought she then had fallen into one of the tanning pits. Getting out of the one, she fell into another pit, and on extracting herself from the second immersion she shook herself and wandered off. But further- movements are an absolute mystery. A theory is advanced that she may afterwards have retired for the day to. rest. It is established that the chemical ingredients of the' tanning process contain deadly poison. There are also^one or two irritants. : , Consequently it is surmised that she may have tried to allay her discomfort by licking, herself, after which death may have followed. But this is of no relief to the general public. They are entitled to know what exactly are the chances of the animal being alive,-, and consequently what is the risk to which they are being subjected. THE PUBLIC SAFETY. The authorities have not shown that regard for public safety which m the circumstances would have been judicious. It was stated at first that the leopard was a timid, docile little beast which did not prowl about m the daytime, but was of a nocturnal inclination. So long' as she was not interfered with she would live peacably with the world at large. But this is not borne out ih the experiences of some who have met the species m their native surroundings. Travellers and residents of India have informed "Truth" that the leopard is. a cunning, untrustworthy creature, which would sweep, down on any passer-by' from the height , of a tree or bush. Another theory is that the animal may have met' its death by drowning iiiiiiiiliiiiiiiniiiiiiiiii iimmiiiiimtiiimiiimtiiiniiiiiiiiim

jin the tanning tanks, but there is proof that it got out of both. ... ■ *.• DEAD OR ALIVE? Yet anpther surmise is that the brute is dead, as there have been no reports of poultry yards having been raided, of pet cats or dogs or children having been eaten up. There is, however, not the slightest vestige of evidence, to show that the animal is not having a I quite enjoyable spell of freedom about the closely-grown bush and scrub which abounds m the vicinity. . ; * There may be the chance of a litter of young leopards springing into being m. the near future, ' and of the wilds of ' Point Chevalier and Avondale arid Grey Lynn becoming the centre of big game, hunting. At least that is- a theory which- has as much to commend it at the time of writing as has any other. . . . And m the meantime what is to happen? Nothing is being done by any who have more than a yery vague knowledge of animals and their ways to track- down the fugitiye. Gangs of people with barking dogs, big sticks, guns, and abun- ' dant ignorance are stamping the country as might beaters at a rabbit drive. Traps, too, have been laid, here and there m an endeavor to entice the wanderer to a feed. In each trap is fastened a junk of raw meat. The same junk has hung m each trap for the past week, and if that does not. bring the lady to her senses, it should asphyxiate her soon. There is no member of the Zoo staff who has. had experience of actual hunting of animals and knows of his own knowledge how to meet -the emergency that .has arisen. ZOO RUN BY NOVICES. The fact of the matter is that the Zoo is m the hands of more or less novices. . Its control and administration form a sort of tripartite., arrangement m which the Town Cleric, the taxidermist of the museum and. a supervisor play a role. Even though it is a £77,000 civic venture, it is not governed by any person who has had an

extensive experience m the handling of wild animals— at least of wild animals before they become corpses. : And the curator is a half-time official. A gigantic undertaking like that at Auckland 'surely merits the services of a thoroughly experienced zoologist. In fact, as the present occurrence shows, the. safety of the ■: public demands it... The position as at present is farcical. , A taxidermist m charge of a Zoo is akin to an undertaker m chai'ge of a .hospital. A.t all events it is no recommendation for those m charge that m the tactics adopted to endeavor to recover the leopard many of those m the hunt did not know what they were to do should they come across their quarry. The organisation was at times on the lines of a pantomime extravaganza. THE FIRST SIGHT. The first sight of the leopard since she gained her liberty, and sufficient evidence that she did riot perish m the tannery vats, came on Monday afternoon, and this was followed on Tuesday when she was again sighted, beaVing out the theory that she had wandered from the Zoo locality. She was seen at the Morningside section, which is across an extensive gully from the Zoo. Excellent cover is provided all the way for such a fugitive. There is no doubt that it was the wanted female. She was seen by a newspaper runner who was out collecting ' accounts. Just past the Morningside railway bridge there are several houses, which stand m wooded gardens. One of these is "Rhodesia," the house of a. Mr. John Ferriday. When the runner, .T. Delugar, was making his usual call at "Rhodesia"; he was scared to become confronted ■ by the missing animal. He states that he saw it full m the. face-, and that she slouched away back under cover. SPOOR MARKS SEEN. The fact that the wife of ' the Rev. A. J. Beck, of St. Luke's vicarage (just acros the road), had seen fresh sppor marks m her cabbage plot, would seem to confirm the impression that "the jungle fiend is m the vicinity. The district is closely inhabited, and there are many children, while there are the Mt. Albert Grammar and Mt. Albert district schools m the neighborhood. When it was reported that the leopard ha,d been sighted, beating operation's were at once transferred, and the whole surroundings were thoroughly disturbed, but nary a sign of the escapee. On Tuesday another scare was raised when it was reported that the animal had again been seen just behind the Baptist Chapel, which almost adjoins the Grammar Schobl. The country is rocky, but is heavily overgrown by bracken, gorse and feni. When the. beaters had made an unsuccessful raid they were retiring from the scene of the reported whereabouts of their prey when another alarm was sent out. . ATTEMPT AT CREMATION. Back rushed the beaters, and with reinforcements fr.om close by they recommenced their smashing tactics. No spotted female, however, came to light, and m a last attempt the growth was fired. Whether the smoke screen provided a sufficient camouflage or not it is hard 'to say, but the elusive leopard was not seen. So far there' has only been one report of nocturnal raids, and that comes from a resident m the locality of where the leopard was seen. On .Friday night seven fowls disappeared from the premises. It is believed that the leopard was there on Friday morning, and the evidence is -inclined to go against the fugitive as the marauder responsible for the clearing of the poultry house.