Grevy's Zebras in Alfeld.

Otago Witness, Issue 2804, 11 December 1907, Page 76

Grevy's Zebras in Alfeld.

Mr Henry Scherren. writes in the Field of October s:—Ats :—At the end of last week^n .September 27, to be precise—while strolling tunder the trees in the Zoological Gardens -at Hanover with the director, Dr Ernst "Schaff, said, "I think you would "ike to know this gentleman who is coming up the avenue. He is a noted dealer in 7 wild animals, living' about an hour's railway journey from the city." The gentleman was Herr €J. Rfckshe, not,, however, a new acquaintance, for I had jnet him when Daisy, Ward's giraffe th»t died last year, came to the gardens, and again soatte years later when the society purchased Charley, another example of the came race. Charley died from the effect of an injury to the neck received at the time of capture. ' One of the original herd, when examined, after death by Owen, was found to hare ' suffered in a similar way. Herr Windhorn. who is Herr Reiohe's chief assistant and collector, brought home in 1897 the Queen s Jubilee giraffe, which unfortunately died jn its travelling box in the gardens. This, with one that Herr Windhorn took to Pretoria about two years agc> makes four of the southern giraffes that have passed through Herr Reiche'a hands. Naturally, we compared e»penenc«fl. Herr Reiche was glad to hear of thj many ereat improvements in the London Zoological Gardens, and a pleasant chat ended with my receiving an invitation to visit Alfeld the next day. The plan lor my short holiday had been carefully mapped out without allowances for extras, and as * visit to Alfeld meant at least half a day I hesitated As *n inducement Herr Reicbe mentioned that he had .«>™«t^« J"* special to show me T a pair of very large, zebras from Abyssinia, said to be Greyy j^. though he was of opinion they &«*xed somewhat from those in London. rte general impression he received on seeing Menelik's gifts to Queen Victorm was that white was the dominant colour. W.itn those in his stables the reverse seemed tobe Se case, and he thought they were more black than white. I take it that thiU to be explained by the position of the animals when they first met his eye. It they were seen at certain angler, one can understand that the black predominated n these animals, while at a different an<?le the white would be more conspicuous. The next day I went to Alfeld which is situated on the Leine, by HannoverKassel line. For a town of 6000 inhabitants it has important industnes-paper-making, iron-founding, machine works the manufacture of lasts, and fas. Meyer . Konversfctionslexikon put it) «°. n. si erabr^. t ™ in wild beasts and canary birds. Ihat was published in 1893 but I fancy that he Aifeld canary trade wa-s on the decline even at that time. The latter part of the journey is very picturesque when one comes into the district of the Lemegebirge and the town itself is well worth seeing, from the point of mw of the antiquary as well as of the naturalist. The old Rathaus dates from the Middle Ages as does the old seminary, with moulded bands of ornamentation, among which the mediaeval representations of the senses are noteworthy. Turning to the left by the »**aus I went along Holzerstrasse, and had the good fortune to meet Herr Windhorn, who kindjy brought me to Herr Reiohe's business house, behind which are the stables and yards for his stock. The house dates from about the beginning of the seventeenth century, and looks as unlike the popular conception of the business place of a dealer in wild animals as anything one can poesibly conWe passed through the house, and met Herr Reiche in the vard—b.v no means destitute of trees and I specially noted one fine chestnut tree. There, in roomy paddocks, were the zebras, without a doubt true Grevy's. and a magnificent pair, showing practically no signs of travel wear. The stallion ha<} lost a little hair from the rubbintr of the noseband, but this i«

a trifle only mentioned to emphasise th» general good condition of the animals. They are about six years old ; the mare is exceedingly tame for a zebra, and although they had only been in Alfeld a few daya when I saw them, 'she allows the men to go into the stalls and groom her, and quite* appreciates the attention-,, L The tetallion needs more' careful handling, out did no* re3ent our -presence "in" the 1 " yard," ' and allowed Herr vßeiche' to pa4i hah. ! ! I %hink thifi pair/ is^fche. first to. come intot what' may; fairly be .called the open market. Ofittftefn export from Abyssinia Herr JReiche, knew nothing beyond the ; fact that he purchased them of 'a Frbnchijan who "brought theijs to Marseilles. - ThW destination of these' sebras isf not ■ yefc • fixed 1 . Urifortuaaiely, there ia ■litttfr' likelihoodi«h«t 'they Iriit 'femain in Germany} still le^s^ that, they -will com© to England. . There rcay,. huwe^er, : be. wmo consolation in the fact; that I, hw© heard the Natura Artis Magistra, founded on the plan of our "own Zoological Society, named •S'the probable , purchaser: X If l^iis le' thß case the people of Amsterdam will "have ©very reason to be proud of taw' notable addition to their fine garden. • ■ ' The stalls from which, these : paddocks open form part- of a long, i?ow qf which were clean, well Testilated, and admirably kept throughout. Of „ course, for space, stock,' and menagerie appliances of all kinds, Carl Haffgtibeck, at' StelHnirefi, is hors 1 oonfcours. But here, as at 3t«lBl4gen, I was allowed to go where -I' liked: questions were frankly answered, and I was invited to satisfy myself as- to- the correctness of the replies.. One result cf my holiday trip has been to deepen the conviction that in dealing commercially with wild animals the methods in vogue in Gertinany are' better than those Which obtain in England. An-d I am quite sure that cb& ample space and free circulation of pure air are not only beneficial to the animals, but remunerative from a commercial point of view. *~

On the door leading into the stalle, wofcH open on both sides of a passage way, I saw a notice, "Peonle mnßt not feed or tease the animate." TElerr Reiche, however, has no exhibition in the ordinary sense «&f the word ; but the inhabitants of Alfeid and visitors are welcome without payment at reasonable times to inspect the stock, which is not infrequently of great interest. When I was there Herr Keiehe had a splendid young male hippopotamus, born in Amsterdam about; a year ago- It was swimming leisurely in' a iair-sized tank— so large, 1 indeed, that I was "surprised to find one of such ample dimensions in a private establishment. Beyond an antelope kangaroo the rest of the. mammals may be recokned as ordinary- menagerie stock — some large anubis and yellow baboons, guenons from, the Cape* srenete, ichneumons, a sloth bear, a cpuple of wombats, and some porcupines. Behind the stables is a small piece of XK I*BB1 * 88 land, on which, animals are- turned out wh«n necessary.

Like many other businesses of the same kind, this began with toe bind trade. . It was founded in 1545 by the fotW ooff f the present proprietor, who- was the first to export canaries i<* America. Then *hese birds were only, bred in, *he Andro^bArjc. but now the breeding and rearing, not paly of canaries, but other cage birds, is very widely distributed in Germany. At the present time the American market is saidto take from 200,660 to 300,000 canaries annually. The American trade i» canaries in the early part xtt the' second' half of the nineteenth century^ led Herr Reiche, sen., to import American, bud* and. mammals, and notably wapiti deer, into Geemaiiy. and the first pair of CalMorni»n sea-lions to reach Pasis were purchased from him. At present the canary trade ia AKeld is principally with the Oape. from which collectors bring back South African birds and mammals.- Among the bind stock' In aaw some pairs of Impeyan pheasant*. Stanley cranes, hundreds of budgerigara that spent the day in spacious, open-air cages, fiaenef, and wearer birds, mandarin ducks, and some Carolina ducks, which were to be despatched with the next consignment of cage birds to America, whenc^ their export ia forbidden. • i '