Page 181 - Our Vanishing Wild Life

leys,eleventhousandofthemwereruthlesslyslaughtered. StateGame Warden Avare says that often heads of families took out as many licenses as there were persons in the family, and the whole quota was killed. Such people deserve to go deerless into the future; but we can not allow them to rob innocent people.
OUR SPECIES OF BIG GAME
The Prong-Horned Antelope, unique and wonderful, will be one ofthefirstspeciesofNorthAmericanbiggametobecometotallyextinct. We mayseethiscometopasswithintwentyyears. Theycannotbebredin protection,saveinverylargefencedranges. Theyaredelicate,capricious, andeasilyupset. Theydieliterally"atthedropofahat." Theyare quite subject to actinomycosis (lumpy-jaw), which in wild animals is incurable.
Already all the states that possess wild antelope, except Nevada, have passed laws giving that species long close seasons ; which is highly credit- abletothestatesthathavedonetheirduty. Nevadamustgetinline at the next session of her legislature
In 1908, Dr. T. S. Palmer published in his annual report of "Progress in Game Protection " the following in regard to the prong-horned antelope
'
' Antelopearestillfoundindiminishednumbersinfourteenwestern states. A considerable number were killed during the year in Montana, where the species seems to have suffered more than elsewhere since the season was opened in 1907.
"A striking illustration of the decrease of the antelope is afforded by Colorado. In1898theStateWardenestimatedthattherewere25,000 in the state, whereas in 1908 the Game Commissioner places the number atonly2,000. ThetotalnumberofantelopenowintheUnitedStates probably does not exceed 17,000, distributed approximately as follows:
Colorado Idaho Montana New Mexico Oregon Wyoming
2,000 200 4,000 1,300 1,500
4,000
Yellowstone Park Other States
Saskatchewan
2,000 2,000
2,000 19,000
To-day (1912), Dr. Palmer says the total number of antelope is less than it was in 1908, and in spite of protection the number is steadily diminishing. Thisisindeedseriousnews. Theexistingbands,already small, are steadily growing smaller. The antelope are killed lawlessl3^ and the crimes of such slaughter are, in nearly every instance, success- fully concealed.
Previously, we have based strong hopes for the preservation of the antelope species on the herd in the Yellowstone Park, but those animals are vanishing fearfully fast. In 1906, Dr. Palmer reported that "About fifteen hundred antelope came down to the feeding grounds near the haystacks in the vicinity of Gardiner." In 1908 the Yellowstone Park
!:
THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF BIG GAME
\159