Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-07-01
Training Elephants.


Tho course of training elephants does
not always run smooth, and when the
| animal is really refractory the keepers
have "a heavy hand" with their charge,
The most usual method of persuasion
employed, when coaxing and feeding
have failed, is, we believe, to "jab
them with pitchfork till blood is free
ly drawn at least this was the expla-
nation given by trainer of repute of
his own practice in his gentle art, and
it accords with Strabo's assertion, that
"to prevent them shaking themselves
in order to throw off those who attempt
to mount them, they (the ancient lndi
ans) make cuts all around their necks
and then put thongs of leather into the
incisions, so that the pain obliges them
to submit to their fctters and remain
| quiet.n Under this or similar treat
ment an elephant can be made to ex-
hibit the greatest docility in the arena,
and will show touching devotion TO
his keeper which cannot fail to render
the circus ut which he is employed as
moral an exhibition rs Artemus Wards
own celebrated "Snaix" We have
seen an elephant trainer put his head in
the mouth oil one of his proteges during
the performance, when the brute obsti
nately kept its mouth closed, and was
only induced to change its mind by II
violent kick upon the trunk from pair
of heavy boots. No doubt this ''littlc
eccentricity'' was followed by
summary and severe punish
ment; but, we must confess, that
to so intelligent creature as an ele-
phant, the insertion of human head
| MT ttc hou Il
an idiotic proceeding that little hesita-
tion as to what to do with il is quite al
lowable. In Baroda, under the late
Gaikwar's rule, a huge elephant was
kept as the public executioner, and
used to dispatch poor wretches, at the
word of command, by crushing their
skulls with his enormous foot Per-
haps this elephant may have imagined
that some such duty was expected of
him, and was merely turning the mat
ter over in his mind. When an ele-
phant is callous, even to the gentle per-
suasion of the pitchfork, and goes
"must THAT is to say, hopelessly de-
praved and rampant-there is only one
kind of influence which can be advan.
tageously exercised, and that is to Gin
iluence his head off, or, ut least, to
| tNdudDlc lOTI1 vi
euthanasia. The poor old historical
elephant of the Royal Exchange mad.
dened by toothache, had to be treated
by firing party of soldiers; and an
other submitted to about quart o.
prussia acid, entailing fatal consequen
ces to a butcher who had called in tc
assist in its subsequent dissection. A.
u rule, they are very patient under
pain, and easily recognize the fact that
any proposed operation is for theil
good" There are two elephants at thii
moment in the Geological Gardens who
have submitted to surgical treatment
the one for an accident which tore off {
portion of its trunk, the other for al
abcess in the face. The ancients also
knew how to treat sick or wounded
elephants, and Elan gives an elaborate
description of the therapeutics em
ployed, dwelling at the same time upor
the gratitude which the creature.
evinced when cured. On the whole
D we need not wonder that Ganesha, tn,
, Hindu God of Wisdom, is represented
, with an elephants head to symbolic,
+ the possession of extraordinary sagacity
t London Saturday RecieW.