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State^ Not Able to Pay' $200 : a Month for Upkeepand Feed,Des Moines—(.^—Th* zoo in the Ledges . state park- near Boone is being' closed for the'•duration’ b'e-. cayse of the scarcity of meat, the statlt;j'. conservation ' commission an- j nounced Thursday. . 1Expense of maintaining the 50 birds and animals in the face of rising: fodd* costs, and falling park', attendance also figured in the decision to dispose.of, or release, the zoo yets, the commission said.Cost of caring-for the zoo animals has been running about $200 a month, the commission said. Beef hearts were the chief food until they- became' scarce . several months ago.' .:Since then the animals have been given horse meat, but now that is becoming scarce.In addition to the food cost it has been necessary to hire an extra man to. care .for the pels.' He was paid $85 a month until recently, The $200 estimate included his salary,:'Deer Not Affected.The deer at the park will not be affected, at least for the present, by the zoo closing because they .are in a separate range,,and can be cared for without excessive expense, the commission added.’ The zoo was established by Caretaker Carl Fritz Henning in 1920 and since has become one of the most popular state park features. It is the only.state-owned zoo in Iowa.Fred T. Schwob, state conservation director, said the zoo would be reopened after the war when, conditions warranted.-The zoo just grew like topsy” titer Henning ' got it started,Schwob said. It started with » few pets of the caretaker,. . ,. ' ,'Gradually ether animals were turned over to him by conservation officers who found them wounded or by persons who no longer wanted their pets..No Animals Bought.The state has never bought any animals or birds for the zoo, but has traded some native Iowa creatures to other zoos for animals that were not common here. Most of the 50 birds and pets are native in Iowa, Negotiations are under way with large zoos to find homes for the larger predatory animals, Schwob said.'The injured animals that would be. unable to survive in the wild have been given to the zoological department 'of Iowa State college for study purposes.' The raccoon will be held in rearing pens and released in the wild ' in the spring'.'■ The remainder of the animals have, orAvil' be, released in the park to add to the native population.In releasing the animals to the wild, the pen doors are left open and the pets are free to come and go until - they become re accustomed to freedom. ...Some Hibernating'.Because of the fact that a number of animals are i.h hibernation and will not emerge until spring, complete abandonment of the zoo will not be possible until the middle.^ of next April, the'commission said.The deer in the park range are fed corn ..daily and hay at intervals, but that can. be handled by Floyd Morley, conservation officer in charge of-the park, the commission said. For: that reason no steps will be taken at present to disturb those animals.Since most of the animals were found in various sections of the state, the zoo can .be. repopulafced within a few weeks when conditions warrant* Schwob-said.Among the animals in the zoo before the commission began closing it were:. : .Brown bear; flying, red, black and fox • squirrels;, gray and red fox: woodchuck, goiden and bald eagle, coyote, gray wolves, ‘ wildcats, horned and barred owls, striped and spotted skunks, gray and black raccoon, prairie dogs, badgers, mink, pheasants, quail, and red-tailed hawks.Park Feature.The zoo has been one of the main features of the park that attracts hundreds of visitors annually from all sections of the state.There never have been any extensive expenditures for development of the animal quarters. .Several years ago $10,000 was earmarked for .construction of modern zoo quarters, but restrictions of the war caused the commission, to postpone the project.PENETROMany user a say first use is E, revelation. Haa a base of old fashioned mutton suet, Grandma’s favorite. Demand stainless Penetro. Generous jar 25j5, double supply 35ifiCOL0S' COUGHING, SNIFFIM. UU SC LEACHES
Newspaper Details
Waterloo Daily Courier
Waterloo, Iowa, US
Thu, Dec 24, 1942
Page 16
Full Page
Clipped by
State H.
IA, USA 23 Oct 2024
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