Two main techniques have been used for training elephants,
which we may call respectively the tough and the gentle.
The former method simply consists of setting an elephant
to work and beating him until he does what is expected
of him. Apart from any moral considerations this is a stupid
method of training, for it produces a resentful
animal who at a later stage may well turn man-killer.
The gentle method requires more patience in the early stages,
but produces a cheerful, good-tempered who will give many
years of loyal service. The first essential in elephant training
is to assign to the animal a single mahout who will be
entirely responsible for the job. Elephants like to have one
master just as dogs do, and are capable of a considerable
degree of personal affection. There are even stories of
half-trained elephant calves who have refused to feed and
pined to death when by some unavoidable circumstance they
have been deprived of their own trainer. Such extreme cases
must probably be taken with a grain of salt, but they do
underline the general principle that the relationship between
elephant and mahout is the key to successful training. The
most economical age to capture an elephant for training is
between fifteen and twenty years, for it is then almost ready
to undertake heavy work and can begin to earn its keep
straight away. But animal of this age do not easily become
subservient to man, and a very firm hand must be employed
in the early stages. The captive elephant, still roped a tree,
plunges and creams every time a man approches, and for
several days will probably refuse all food through anger and
fear. Sometimes a tame elephant is tethered nearby to give
the wild one confidence, and in most cases the captive
gradually quietens down and begins to accept its food. The
next stage is to get the training establishment, a ticklish
business which is achieved with the aid of two tame elephants
roped to the captive on either side. When several elephants are
being trained at one time, it is customary of the new arrival to
be placed between the stalls of two captives whose training is
already well advanced. It is then left completely undisturbed
with plenty of food and water so that it can absorb the
atmosphere of its new home and see that nothing particularly
alarming is happening to its companions. When it is eating
normally, its own training begins. The trainer stands in front
of the elephant holding a long stick with a sharp metal point.
Two assistants, mounted on tame elephants, control the captive
from either side, while other rub their hands over his skin to
the accompaniment of a monotonous and soothing chant.
This is supposed to induce pleasurable sensations in the
elephant, and its effects are reinforced by the use of endearing
epithets, such as 'ho! my son', or 'ho! my father', or 'my mother',
according to the age and sex of the captive. The elephant is not
immediately susceptible to such blandishments, however, and
usually lashes fiercely with its trunk in all directions. These
movements are controlled by the trainer with the metal-pointed
stick, and the truck eventually becomes so sore that the elephant
curls it up and seldom afterwards uses it for offensive purposes.
RICHARD CARRINGTON Elephants