Abstract
The current extinction crisis leaves us increasingly reliant on captive populations to maintain vulnerable species. Approximately one third of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are living in semi-captive conditions in range countries. Their relationship with humans stretches back millennia, yet elephants have never been fully domesticated. We rely on the expertise of traditional handlers (mahouts) to manage these essentially wild animals, yet this profession may be threatened in the modern day. Here, we study the handling system of semi-captive timber elephants in Myanmar; the largest global semi-captive population (~5 000). We investigate how recent changes in Myanmar may have affected the keeping system and mahout-elephant interactions. Structured interviews investigated changes to mahout attitude and experience over the last two decades, as perceived by those who had worked in the industry for at least 10 years (n = 23) and as evaluated in current mahouts (n = 210), finding mahouts today are younger (median age 22yrs), less experienced (median experience 3yrs), and change elephants frequently, threatening traditional knowledge transfer. Mahout-elephant interactions manifested as 5 components (‘job appreciation’; ‘experience is necessary’; ‘human-elephant interaction’; ‘own knowledge’; ‘elephant relationship’), according to Principal Components Analysis. Experienced mahouts and mahouts of bulls and younger elephants were more likely to agree that ‘experience is necessary’ to be a mahout. Mahouts with difficult elephants scored lower on ‘human-elephant interaction’ and a mahout’s perception of their ‘own knowledge’ increased with more experience. Our finding of change in terms of mahout experience, age and commitment in the largest semi-captive elephant population suggests need for formal training and assessment of impacts on elephant welfare; these are findings applicable to thousands of elephants under similar management.
Highlights
The current extinction crisis is leaving more species reliant on human management to conserve vulnerable populations [1]
We report detailed questionnaires answered by 210 handlers working within elephant camps today to assess current mahout demography, experience and attitudes surrounding their job
We study the keeping system of elephants owned by Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), who own and manage half of the country’s semi-captive elephants (~2 700)
Summary
We study the keeping system of elephants owned by Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), who own and manage half of the country’s semi-captive elephants (~2 700). The elephants are classed as semi-captive: when not working they are released into the forest to forage and interact with other semi-captive and wild elephants, reproducing without human interference. The MTE elephants are rested during the hot season (March-May), their work hours and tonnage are restricted according to season, the manner of labour, and their condition. All MTE elephants are retired by age 55 and pregnant females are rested from half-way through pregnancy until their calf is one year old, whereupon they return to light tasks. Calves are kept with their mother, with little human contact, until weaning at 4–5 years, at which point they are tamed
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