Working Elephants
Their cruel exploitation
The elephant was first tamed in 2000B.C. in the ancient towns of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa in the Indus Valley, in what is now known as Pakistan.
WITHIN AGRICULTURE
The elephant is an efficient machine. It ploughs paddy fields, harvests coconuts and carries branches.
LOADING
The elephant is loaded and carries goods through the forest or across rivers.
THE UNEMPLOYED ELEPHANT
In Thailand all logging was forbidden in 1989,
in order to protect the rainforest. Thousands
of elephants and their mahouts became
unemployed and they were left with few
options:
• Forestry
They work with illegal felling or are rented out
for forestry in neighboring countries. In order
to work longer and harder, the elephant is
given amphetamine.
• Tourism
Elephants and mahouts entertain tourists and
sell elephant rides.
• Begging
THE CRUEL WAY OF TAMING
• the wild elephant is caught
• it is tied between trees to prevent it from moving
• when an elephant fails to obey, it is punished by
strokes with an elephant hook on the trunk or
behind the ears
• it is both starving and thirsty. At night the mahout
gives the elephant treats in order to win its
confidence
• once the elephant begins to accept its destiny, it
gets a bath in the river
• after a couple of weeks the elephant is willing to
co-operate
• after 2-3 years, the elephant is fully trained
THE WORKING DAY OF AN ELEPHANT
The elephant works 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon. It cannot be pressed too hard. It spends the rest of the day feeding in the rainforest. The forelegs are chained and it wears a bell around its neck to prevent it from walking away and to make it easy for the mahout to find it.
TOURISTS ON ELEPHANT BACK
In special elephant camps tourists can ride an elephant.
LOGGING
The elephant pulls heavy tree trunks through the forest and loads them onto trucks. It is able to walk through areas inaccessible to tractors and bulldozers.