The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-11-03
HUNTING
FINE CEYLON SPORT
Herd of 80 Recently Cap
tured In Corral In
Jungle
1000 BEATERS
BUSY FOR WEEKS
Kept Herd Headed Towards Big Kraal
Where Animals Were Captured - De
coy Elephants Used to Lead Wild
Ones Into Captivity.

COY EitpAdtiiS ASCu W l1Chu "iAh
Ones Into Captivity.
LONDON, Nov. "a Ceylon CORE
spondent of the Daily Mail thus de-
seribes hunting wild elephants in that
island:
Visitors are reminded that the object |
of the kraal is to catch elephants and
that their presence in no way contrib |
| utes to this result
Such was one of the rather discourage
ing rules and regulations issued recently
when an elephant kraal was announced
to take place in the Northwest Province
of Ceylon.
1 Kraals are rarely held nowadays, and
there was great competition for the
privilege of being allowed to attend the
actual driving of the elephants into the
/. stockade.
Preparations for kraal are elaborate.
Z In this case a suitable site for the stock
ade in the heart of the jungle was first
: selected and beaters were sent out to
= scout for herds of elephants.
Some three or four weeks before the
, date fixed for the kraal the herds were
surrounded by about 1000 heaters, who
gradually narrowed the circle in which
the elephants were living and shepherded
them to within a quarter of mile of
the Stockade
' The spot selected for the stockade was
two and a half miles inside the jungle,
five and half from a wayside railway
station and some 80 miles from Colombo.
: Three acres in extent, it contained ris-
q ing ground and pond. with the jungle
!, left intact so that the elephants when
o first driven in would not be alarmed.
o Trunks of trees about 10 feet high ant
a l. inches in diameter driven into the
n ground about two feet apart, with tops
q pointed, composed the fence which was
Y further strengthened by thick crossbar'
+ firmly tied with rope and buttressed out.
e side with other heavy logs.
D. At / O'Clock in the morning the Wis
IF itors silently took up their positions II
the stands erected on ore side of the
IN stockade, around which for greater safe
10 ty was ranged second army of beat
IT ers. \ long delay ensued. Suddenly {
n terrific burst of firing and shouting as
)r sailed our ears, and then we saw shad
Of owy forms plunging through the foliag'
e inside the stockade and heard thezsoun
ID of trees crashing to the ground as tn
I'd frightened elephants were driven iron
IS the open jungle into the prison the.
he iconld not see. And then the decoy ele
plants began their work.
Headed by n veteran. the stronges
elephant in Ceylon, the seven decoys Ell
tered the stOckade and the gates wer
e. closed. Charging through the jungle tn
Idecoys surrounded the captured herd
80 now thirstily drinking at the pond
Nj Two mahOutS were on the back Q
- each deeoy. Underneath each trun
~ stood the nooser, with a moose of platte
I, deer hide in his hand the other end b'
~ ing fastened to the decOy.
Softly the nOoser crept mp. Naltin
-, until wild elephant raised a hind foo
h. he deity slipped the moose round it an
o. fed for his life. IF an elephant stoo
on motionless. the decoy tickled his foe
7 with the end of his trunk in order t
te make him raise it and let the nooser d
nj his work.
be Then began the tug-of-war. the vii
u elephant trumpeting loudly and struI
Cling to free himself, while the decd
&C. slowly pulled him out of the "Rugge
ar serum of his angry and frightened fe
he lows toward a big tree, round whic
We he began to walk, twisting the rope th
while.
Other decoys loafed up to assist. An
when the wild one became obstreperor
they beat him with their trunks an
no pushed him with their heads Standin
=. close by around him until the beatel
H. had securely tied his hind legs to Il
3: tree and slipped off the moose. Then Q
nd the decoys rolled. to do it all again. lea
on ing the newly tied monster to pull al
MS struggle. trumpet and below, till tire
ed out Later. each captured animal. no
II cowed and tractable. was led out of Il
II; stockade yoked between decoys.