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Lesson 41
Training elephants
训练大象
At what point does the training of a captive wild elephant begin?
Two main techniques have been used for training elephants, which we may
call respectively the tough and the gentle. The former method simply consists of
setting an elephant to work and beating him until he does what is expected of
him. Apart from any moral considerations this is a stupid method of training,
for it produces a resentful animal who at a later stage may well turn
man-killer. The gentle method requires more patience in the early stages, but
produces a cheerful, good-tempered elephant who will give many years of loyal
service.
The first essential in elephant training is to assign to the animal a
single mahout who will be entirely responsible for the job. Elephants like to
have one master just as dogs do, and are capable of a considerable degree of
personal affection. There are even stories of half-trained elephant calves who
have refused to feed and pined to death when by some unavoidable circumstance
they have been deprived of their own trainer. Such extreme cases must probably
be taken with a grain of salt, but they do underline the general principle that
the relationship between elephant and mahout is the key to successful
training.
The most economical age to capture an elephant for training is between 15
and 20 years, for it is then almost ready to undertake heavy work and can begin
to earn its keep straight away. But animals of this age do not easily become
subservient to man, and a very firm hand must be employed in the early stages.
The captive elephant, still roped to a tree, plunges and screams every time a
man approaches, and for several days will probably refuse all food through anger
and fear. Sometimes a tame elephant is tethered nearby to give the wild one
confidence, and in most cases the captive gradually quietens down and begins to
accept its food. The next stage is to get the elephant to the training
establishment, a ticklish business which is achieved with the aid of two tame
elephants roped to the captive on either side.
When several elephants are being trained at one time, it is customary for
the new arrival to be placed between the stalls of two captives whose training
is already well advanced. It is then left completely undisturbed with plenty of
food and water so that it can absorb the atmosphere of its new home and see that
nothing particularly alarming is happening to its companions. When it is eating
normally, its own training begins. The trainer stands in front of the elephant
holding a long stick with a sharp metal point. Two assistants, mounted on tame
elephants, control the captive from either side, while others rub their hands
over his skin to the accompaniment of a monotonous and soothing chant. This is
supposed to induce pleasurable sensations in the elephant, and its effects are
reinforced by the use of endearing epithets. such as 'ho! my son', or 'ho! my
father', or 'my mother', according to the age and sex of the captive. The
elephant is not immediately susceptible to such blandishments, however, and
usually lashes fiercely with its trunk in all directions. These movements are
controlled by the trainer with the metal-pointed stick, and the trunk eventually
becomes so sore that the elephant curls it up and seldom afterwards uses it for
offensive purposes.
RICHARD CARRINGTON Elephants
New words and expressions 生词与短语
technique
n. 技术
tough
adj. 强硬的
resentful
adj. 忿恨不满的
assign
v. 分配，指派
mahout
n. 驯象人
calf
n. 幼仔
pine
v. 消瘦
underline
v. 着重说明，强调
keep
n. 生计
subservient
adj. 屈从的
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发表于 2016-7-11 22:47:58