Sagacity of Elephants

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 20, 16 May 1907, Page 30

Sagacity of Elephants

Sagacity seems a strong word to apply to an elephant, but certainly the taLes of those who best know the beast would justify the term. It is said that the elephants in India will' besmear themselves with mud as a protection against insects, ami that they will breaik branches from the trees and use them to brush away tbe flies. If this is true it shows something beyond instinct in the elephant— it shows reflection. It • is surprising how simple is the training of a new-ly-captured elephant and how soon the animal can be taught to work. For the first three days, which is usually the time before they will eat freely, the elephant is left quiet with perhaps a tame animal near him. to give him- confidence in Ms surroundings. If there be many to be tamed at the same time each captive is stalled between the tamed ones as soon as he eats his food naturally. When this stage of training is reaqhed the tamer and his assistant station themselves one on each side with long,-pointdd sticks in their hands. A tame elephant also assists in case he is needed. The me:i at the skies rub the animal's back, soothing him with such epithets as c Ho, ray son,' ' Ho, my father,' 'Ho, my mother,' which seem to have a calming effect. The next step is to take the animal to the tanfe to bath£, which is accomplished at first with the aid of tame elephants. After a time he can be taken alone, but as the process of taming depends upon the individual disposition of the beast, the time of preliminary training differs. A niewly-tamed elephant is first put at the task of treading clay in a brickfield or, drawing a wagon in double harness with a tamed elephant. But the place where it shows the greatest amount of sagacity is in moving heavy weights. For, unliV-e the horse, -it seems to comprehend the purpose and object of its work, and executes various details without the supervision of its master.