TAMING THE ELEPHANT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17639, 1 December 1931, Page 4

TAMING THE ELEPHANT

TRAINING FARMS IN THE CONGO There are now two elephant-training stations in the Belgian Congo. They are Government institutions organised toy the Department of Agriculture and are situated at Api and Gangara Na Bodia, in the AVelle District, near the border of the Anglo-Egvptian Sudan. On Flies* stations and adjoining farms there are 120 elephants of ages ranging from 15 to 35 years. These animals are all tame. They have been trained for haulage work, ploughing, and felling trees. ■ It is likely that some of them will be used for military purposes, especially for carrying machine-guns and ammunition through the jungle. The system of “kraaling” wild elephants as used in Ceylon and Burma, cannot be followed in the Congo as tlie African elephants, male and female, have extremely dangerous tusks. The Belgians have' evolved an entirely different system. They catch the young elephants when about sft. to 6ft. in height. The hunters are formed into squads of 11 men. led by Europeans on horseback. They stalk a herd until an opportunity occurs to tackle a young elephant, ‘which they seize by cars, trunk, tail, and legs in order to throw it, Thev then bind it. securely with ropes. During this time another squad fires shots to drive away the herd. The captured animal is brought to the hunters-’ camp by a trained elephant. Its education begins with lullaby songs, plenty of food and water, and much petting.' Training takes about a year. Whereas Asiatic elephants never breed in captivity, trained African elephants occasionally do. Two births have been registered ‘in the Congo stations this year.