How Wild Elephants Are Cought and Tamed.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20922, 11 July 1931, Page 4 (Supplement)

How Wild Elephants Are Cought and Tamed.

DEAR GIRLS AND BOYS, V Knowing you will enjoy a few more ''peeps" into the Indian jungle, I am about to ask you to accompany me there under the guidance of Sooraj, the Elephant B ° y ' nut- last "peep" was when we hunted'that fleetest of the deer species, the , » _ *il animal in tnc world—the cheetah, antelope with the sw f . doacribed by p addy Murphy as " having the hist, tale No. I. ; ' -• '

Malcolm was spending the evening with his friend, Sooraj at the village of Charnuggar. When the time came _ loi feeding the elephants, Sooraj invited Malcolm to witness the performance. The " Jungle-lords" having been attended to, tho two lads came back to Sooraj's home. Malcolm was most interested in these wonderfully, intelligent creatures, and, wishing to learn, began questioning Sooraj. "How do you get your elephants; do vou breed them," he asked, or catch them when quite young ?" . "We breed a few," replied Sooraj, but mostly catch them. We do not trouble about the real babies, for that would mean too many years of waiting before they became capable of being useful. " How long," said Malcolm, would that be ?" , " Well;" Sooraj explained, suppose a year-old baby was taken, it would require at least twenty years. You see, Malcolm, they are so different from other animals, more especially "a s regards the age to which they live, one hundred and fifty years, often longer; they are only in their early prime when a man is become too old for work. "How about Heera Jan?" " Yes," replied Sooraj, " Heera Jan was born in captivity; that was seventyfive years agOAwhen my grandfather was a young man. We find it more profitable to take grown animals and train them. They are so intelligent and responsive to kindness, that that can be achieved within twelve to eighteen months. Then, you may bo surprised to learn; we have to rely on the tame ones for assistance; in fact, they do most of the training."

Here Sooraj drew a diagram on the ground to demonstrate, as behnv:

" Tho preparations having been completed, next morning the hunt begins." Malcolm was longing to say that he wished he could witness such a stupendous hunt, but was too deeply interested to interrupt the recital. " Hundreds and hundreds of beaters, carrying old-fashioned muskets, big firecrackers, drums, empty kerosene tins, anything capable of producing a horrid din, surround the wild elephants on three sides and start their awful pandemonium. This terrifies the herd, and they start away in tho only direction no noise assails them—the way to the corral.

Louder and louder waxes the din, as the beaters close in. The animals are now distraught with fear and terror at tho strange discord around 'them; |hey break into a mad gallop and rush pellmell, madly, blindly, along the ever-nar-rowing cul-de-sac, to finally fling into the corral—pushing, crowding, screaming, trumpeting, in abject terror. " As the last animal enters the corral the heavy portcullis is released and drops. The herd is trapped! " The shikarrees approach nnd gaze through the enclosure walls at the milling monsters, and decide upon those to be taken. At a signal the din breaks out afresh, and drives tho fear-stricken prisoners toward the end of the corral, remote from the entrance. . . Up goes the portcullis as two tame elephants, bearing their mahouts, enter and range one' on each side of a chosen captive. " Immediately they commence to completely subjugate the already cowed and terrified wild creature —they administer severe punishment with tusks and trunks, and end up by escorting* tho captive out of the corral and securing it with chains against escape. " The requisite number being taken, they are escorted off, and tho portcullis drawn up to let tho others escape. Within 18 months tho onco wild creatures have been domesticated, and, strangely enough, never seek to escape, but seem quite contented and reconciled to their new lot in life.

" That does seem, not only strange, but almost barely possible. Sooraj, please tell me nil. about it you don't mind." " I shall be only too pleased," replied Sooraj. " Let us go over to that charpai (Indian bed lit. trans: ' four-legged '); the story will take time to tell, •1' only hope it may not tire nor bore you;" " This is the way of it. When fresh elephants are needed by the Sircar (British Government), 1 or by- some Prince, word is sent to us. Our Shirkarees (hunters), go forth, locate a large herd and bring in the necessary information. Then a. Khaddah (coral) is built efficiently large to take in all the herd. To do this, , an army of workmen get to chopping down quite large trees. These are hauled into position by the domesticated animals and the huge logs, over a foot through, placed by tliem in an upright position in , deeply dug shafts prepared for Ihe reception. These logs are then lashed and woven together'with rattans, pliant vines, arid bamboo ropes; make no mistake, this, has to be done with great care so as to avoid any flaw or weak point. The completed corral is circular in shape, there is' an opening toward the direction in which the herd will be driven in; this opening is led into by a strongly-formed cul-de-sac " approach."