ELEPHANT FARM

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 13333, 21 December 1943, Page 7

ELEPHANT FARM

Elephants are to-day playing a large part In the transport world in Africa. They are also needed in farming. In the Belgian Congo there is a farm to train them. At Gangala. in the heart of the Belgian Congo, the African elephant. | the wildest, strongest, and largest of Its kind to be found anywhere. Is trained for farm and other heavy work. The farm is run on strictly military lines, with three officers and 120 natives wearing the uniform of a Belgian cavalry regiment. Every year about 20 young elephants take the place of a similar number of full-grown animals trained to draw ploughs and wagons, or to carry logs and water-pipes. It is : a fine sight to watch seven of these j huge beasts abreast, pulling a mons- | ter plough. Trained elephants called monitors. : assist in capturing the wild young | ones. When a herd of elephants ap- j pears, it is stampeded, and some of j the young ones who lag behind are - caught by a lasso thrown round a hind leg. The captive is then tied to a tree and later to two monitors —one on either side. It takes two years to tame and train an elephant, but at the -und of this time it is as meek and willing as an os.