Evening star., 1921-05-29
This Mr. Mayer Animal Hunter and Collector Tells Breaking
His First Herd So That He Gould Drive Them the Months of
Hard Lab-L Pecuiares AnmaThe Incident of the Ele
phan With Twenty ToesA Deal With ArabThe Value T
Trouble With the PET" of Zoo.

arm. where there is the most flesh to
protect the bone. Such a blow never
knocks a man fiat: it sends him spin
ming like top until he tumbles over
! x X
| THE elephant uses both his trunk
} and his lungs in calling, and he
has large variety of sounds and
combinations Of sound with which to
express himself. When rushing an
enemy, ne trumpets shrilly; when en-
ragged by wounds. he grumbles hoarse-
| ly from his throat: he expresses fear
by shrill. brassy trumpet and a
! roar, and pleasure by a continued low
sQueaking through the trunk. When
apprehensive of danger or when at
| tempting to intimidate an enemy he
| raps the end of his trunk smartly on
the ground and trumpets. The pecu-
| liar noise sounds like that produced
by the rolling up of sheet of tin.
coils his trunk to protect it from in
jury. When he is engaged in heavy
work. such as piling lumber, he may
use his trunk to balance the load he
| to bear part of the burden. If an un-
harnessed elephant must pull a rope
he holds it in his mouth. taking good
care to keep his trunk out of the
way. 1t has happened many times
that an elephant-keeper- a train
or. for a trainer knows better-has
used a hook a little too freely on an
elephants trunk. If he doesn't get
killed he picks himself up several
yards from where he was standing.
A trainer is invariably pleased at
such an occurrence. because it shows
that the keeper was abusing the ele-
phant and has merely received his
deserts. The elephant is good.
faithful animal. and does not attack
his keeper without excuse. except
when he is in what is called the
must" period. which I shall describe
later.
When the elephant is secured by
hobbies. foot-ropes and trunk-ropes
are removed. The foot-ropes have
been fastened to the stakes and are
| loosened as the elephant walks out.
The men holding the ropes attached
to the fore feet wind them around
the two stakes ahead. and those
holding the ropes attached to the
hind feet wind them about the first
stakes. In this way the animal is
drawn forward. step by step. toward
| the stocks. while natives prod him
| to bolt he simply falls over. 1t is a
| dificult. trying job. because the ele-
phant is still vicious.
The stocks are built in covered
stalls. so that each elephant is sepa-
rate from the others. Two large up
! the shape of a V; the elephants head
| is drawn between them, and they are
, pulled together at the top. so. that
he is held securely behind the ears.
poles to fence him in. running be-
tween them. These poles. located a
trifie below his belly. support two
| cross bars. one just behind his fore
legs and the other in front Of his
back legs. In this position it is
down or to move; he can wiggle his
! legs and wave his trunk. but that
is all.
The elephant remains in the stocks
time he is fed and petted by a keep
er appointed for that particular job.
The keeper crawls over his back and
, rubs him behind the ears and gives
him water. fruit and bamboo shoots
The elephant learns not to be afraid
when man is near him. and he
gradually becomes more docile. Dur
ing these two weeks he is fed very
lightly because he must be kept in
d weakened condition.
x r
A FTER two or three weeks. accord
ing to the disposition Of the ele-
phant, ropes are again attached to his
feet and he is led out Of the stocks
| This time he wears only the knee
hobbies. which allow him more play.
Eight or ten men hold each Of the
| ropes: his keeper sits on his head witt
| a prod; another crew hold the rope
attached to his trunk. and six or
eight men follow with rattan whips.
| The men with the whips beat him
! continually. At first. in the excite
ment. he does not mind the whip
ping: then he finds the pain un-
bearable. The men on the trunk
| ropes lead him about from right to
! left. while the men on the foot
ropes stand ready to trip him If he
/ tries to bolt. At last he gives a
below OF pain and the whipping
stops.
| This one below marks surpris-
! ing change in the animal. His spirit
| is broken and he acknowledges that
man is his master. The fact that he
! is instantly fed and petted helps him
to make up his mind. of course. and
to forget about the old, wild ways
! of the jungle. Thereafter a keeper
who does not deliberately make him
angry can handle him easily. His
schooling is brief and he learns read
lily to turn, kneel. back and pull. In
return he is given plenty of food
| and is tied to tree instead of being
put in the stocks.
1t occasionally happened that an