Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 April 1914 — HAPPENINGS IN THE CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HAPPENINGS IN THE CITIES

Hides Cubs in Cave; Defies Keepers to Enter NEW YORK.—Park attendants have been trying for days to learn just how many bear cubs there are in ft cave at the back of one of the iarge cages in the zoological park in the Bronx. Just yrhen they were born is not known.

They only learned that there were cubs in the cave when Colorado, a female North American brown bear, appeared at the entrance a week ago bearing one of them in her mouth. It was not any bigger than a cat, the keeper who saw it said. Titer? are three other bears in the cage with the mother, and they lined up in front of the entrance and prevented an inspection of the cave. Later the keepers learned that Colorado had more than one cub, but just

how many more is still a matter of doubt. Superintendent Snyder is sure there are three youngsters behind the rock, but Keeper Degon insists there are only two. Interest id the welfare of the cubs became so great among the keepers that one of them undertook to explore the cave and find out how many cubs there were and how they were getting on. He waited until the other bears were dozing after a hearty meal. Then opened the door at the rear of the inclpsure and stepped in, swinging the door softly shut behind him. He was creeping toward the cave when suddenly the mother bear appeared in the “entrance. She had a cub in her mouth, for each day she brings one .of them out into the sunshine, stands guard over it for ten minutes or so, and then gravely catches the youngster up by the scruff of the neck and carries it back into the cave. She was on the way out to give one of the cubs its airing when the keeper encountered her. She growled savagely, and the keeper backed quickly to the door, reached a hand out behind him and opened it. Colorado, with a quick!turn of her head, tdssed the cub just inside the cave. Then, still growling, she cleared the few feet between the cate and the cage door with remarkable speed, reaching it just as the keeper stepped through.