Note on Elephants in Burma, with a description of their Equipment, by
VETERINARY CAPTAIN G. H. EVANS, Army Veterinary Department;
Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, Burma (September
1894).
Names.—The elephant met with in Burma is the Asiatic (Elephas Indicus)—
Burmese
...
...
Shan
...
...
Karen
...
...
Hsen
...
Sant-Hain ...
Ka-Sau.
Wild Elephants ...
Ditto
...
Tor-Hsen.
Sant-Htaint.
From time immemorial the Burmese and Siamese have regarded the White
Elephant as a sacred beast Sir John Bowring states that the reason why this
animal is so specially reverenced is, " Because it is believed that Buddha, the divine
emanation from the Deity, must necessarily in his multitudinous metamorphoses
or transmissions through all existences, and through millions of æons, delight to
abide for some time in that grand incarnation of purity which is represented by
the White Elephant. While the Phongyis (priests) teach that there is no spot
in the heavens above or the earth below, or the waters under the earth, which is
not visited in the peregrinations of the divinity, whose every stage or step is
towards purification, they hold that his tarrying may be longer in the White
Elephant than in any other abode, and that in the possession of the sacred
creature they may possess the presence of Budha himself." The same author
states that these animals have been the cause of many a war, and their posses-
sion more an object of enyy than the conquest of territory.
The kings of Burma were very proud of the titles of " Lord of the Celestial
Elephant," and " Lord of many White Elephants." The kings of Siam also glory
in these pompous titles ; in that country everything associated with majesty and
rank bears the image of the White Elephant. These animals are surrounded
with all the adjuncts of royalty, viz.,—gold umbrellas, etc.,—and when they
die, are accorded a royal funeral.
The Burmese being Buddhists, are naturally kind to all dumb creatures, so
that the elephant, in common with other domestic animals, is well cared for.
Wild Elephants.—These animals are very numerous, and roam about in
large herds in the dense jungles at the foot of the hills, very few are caught and
tamed by Government for the use of the Slate. The kings of Burma used to
carry on "keddah" operations on a small scale, in the Mandalay and other
districts, and were, I believe, fairly successful. I feel certain that if operations
were properly conducted, large captures could be made ;—the animals are plenti-
ful enough.
As a general rule the herds vary in number from five to sixty animals, but
the latter number may often be exceeded. The animals met with are compact,
massive, and of fair height; with regard to the latter point, there may be slight
variations between Indian, Burmese, and Siamese animals. The usual pace of
elephants is a walk ; it is only when annoyed or scared that they take on a faster
rate of locomotion, which is a shuffling amble, but it is only known to those who
have had an enraged monster after them the wonderful amount of speed these
creatures can attain in an incredibly short time. The elephant is no doubt " King
of the Forest;" they are rarely interfered with by other wild beasts ; now and again,
however, a hungry tiger may attack a solitary animal. A year or two ago, in the
Tharrawaddy district, a tiger attacked, on different occasions, one or more animals,
the property of a Burman contractor, inflicting such severe injuries that, 1 believe,
one or more succumbed. It is calves that usually fall victims to tigers, and the
manner in which they catch them is as follows:—A tiger having observed calves
in a herd, he lies in ambush close by, awaiting an opportunity (which usually
occurs while the herd is busily engaged feeding), and then springs out, seizes a calf
by the leg, just above the pad, and bolts. The herd, after his attack, is on the