Two main techniques have been used for training elephants, which we may callrespectively the tough and the gentle. The former method simply consists of setting anelephant to work and beating him until he does what is expected of him. Apart from anymoral considerations thisis a stupid method of training, for it produces a resentfulanimal who at a later stage may well turn man-killer. The gentle method requires morepatience in the early stages, but produces a cheerful, good-tempered elephant who willgive many years of loyal service.
The first essential in elephant training is to assign to the animal a single mahoutwho will be entirely responsible for the job. Elephants like to have one master just asdogs do, and are capable of a considerable degree of personal affection. There are evenstories of half-trained elephant calves who have refused to feed and pained to death whenby some unavoidable circumstance they have been deprived of their own trainer. Suchextreme cases must probably be taken with a grain of salt, but they do underline thegeneral principle that the relationship between elephant and mahout is the key tosuccessful training.
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