Gilpin observer., 1913-05-29

10 browse IN peace untll tne IOllOW-
ing morning After five days work
they receive two days complete rest.
or three days II the spell has been an
arduous one. In January, or early
February, they are removed to ever
green forests, where they will, even
during the ensuing hot months. be
able to find abundant food and water.
and, being called upon to do no work
whatever. they soon become fat and
ready for new seasons labors.
Work Is Heavy.
The foregoing account Of the ele-
plants working program makes its
lot appear remarkably easy one. An
average of four or five hours day
for five days of the week. complete
rest on the other two, and during five
months Of the year no work at all
at first sight the elephant seems to be
in clover. 1t must, however. be borne
in mind, first, that the work it per
forms is the heaviest done by any ami
NAL in the world; secondly. as already
stated. that it Is a nocturnal animal.
unaccustomed in it's wild state even
| to travel, much less to work. In the
heat of the day. Easy as its hours
may sound, experience shows that
they cannot be safely increased. For.
i If the elephant is the most powerful
animal in the world, it is also one OF
the most delicate. Not only is 1t terri
bly, liable to surra and anthrax. dis
eases prevalent among all the cattle
of the country, but heart failure and
| ole W a q -
cidents, such as snake bites. are often
fatal. Owners naturally do not care
to risk unnecessary exposure to the
sun to the already lengthy list of
causes which produce death. causes
from which, despite all their precau-
tions, the teak companies of Siam
must reckon annually to lose between
five and ten per cent. Of their stock.
The increasing scarcity, and conse-
Quently increasing value, of elephants
is indeed already a matter Of grave
concern to all interested in the teak
business. Whereas ten or fifteen
years ago a good "tusker" might be
purchased for 1000 rupees, three
times that sum is now sometimes de-
manded, while cows and "hines"-i. e..
tuskless males-vary. in price from
5000 to 5000 rupees. These prices
speak for themselves and need no
comment.
Great Care Taken Of Calves
The majority of the elephants now
working timber have been caught in
the wild state and tanned. But the ami
mails also breed fairly well in cap
tivity, and. needless to say. great care
is taken of the calves. From the age
of four to six they are usually placed
with a native trainer. who accustoms
them to dragging small logs or carry
ing light loads. The animal is. as q
rule. kept for transport purposes till
between its fifteenth or twentieth
year. by which time it is beginning to
attain something like its full growth
and strength. From this time onward,
should 1t be docile and tractable. II
will become regular worker. Ele
phants vary. of course. + their dispo
sitions as rluch as any other race OF
animals; some seem to be incurable
savage and vicious. Such cases are
however, exceptional. and are proba
bly, due as a rule more to mistakes OF
treatment than to innate tendencies.
Should 1t succeed in evading the nu
merous causes of death to which 1t is
liable. an elephant will be able tc
work up to its 1ftieth or sixtieth year,
after which .t gradually begins to de
cline. The natural term of its life
cannot hs1fsactly determined