ELEPHANT AID INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

Elephant welfare | Elephants in Asia | Mahouts | Training

Mahout & Elephant Training Initiative

1 Jan, 1970

Funds Needed

10000

1850

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What

EAI trains mahouts and elephant care facilities in Asia in the use of Compassionate Elephant Care.

The training includes Positive Reinforcement Target Training (PRTT).

EAI can provide a one-time consultation, offering information and/or instruction, or work with a facility on an ongoing basis. EAI is monitoring its ongoing training programs in Thailand and Nepal to document the success of the technique.

EAI will also develop permanently located satellite training centers, the goal being self-sustaining centers staffed by graduates of its program.

In Nepal, EAI consults with Tiger Tops Elephant Camp on redesigning its elephant program. As a result, Tiger Tops has discontinued offering elephant rides, built chain free corrals encompassing 13 acres and released all 12 of their elephants from chains. In 2017, Tiger Tops will permanently discontinue elephant polo.

News Coverage

• You don’t need to ride an elephant to enjoy one
• Born to be free
• Tiger Tops introducing a new way of Elephant adventure
• Freedom for the elephants!
• Tiger Tops to become Asia’s first private responsible elephant tourism outfit
• Tiger Tops offering new style elephant tourism
• Carrying Chitwan

Where

Goals

• To teach mahouts more humane methods of training and handling elephants.

• To establish permanent self-sustaining satellite training centers to provide PRTT to mahouts, staffed by graduates of EAI’s training program.

Results

Training programs initiated

Thailand

• Elephant Nature Park (ENP): 36 mahouts; 31 elephants, both male and female, ranging in age from 1 year to 63

• Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (BLES): 12 mahouts; 11 elephants, both male and female, ranging in age from 3 to 55

• Elephant’s World: 8 mahouts; 1 elephant, male, age 6

• Wildlife Friends of Thailand (WFFT): 4 mahouts; 1 elephant, male, age 5

India

• Wildlife SOS-India: 2 vets, 5 mahouts; 5 elephants (adult male and female)

Nepal 

• National Trust for Nature Conservation-Biodiversity Conservation Center (NTNC-BCC): 15 mahouts; 6 elephants, both male and female, ranging in age from 2 months to 75 years

• Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC): 165 mahouts; 63 elephants, both male and female, ranging in age from 3 months to 72 years

• Private sector: 141 mahouts; 65 elephants, both male and female, ranging in age from 1 to 68 years

See Also

• Elephant abuse in Nepal: Are the mahouts really to blame?
• Drag Chains and Training
• checking in at ENP
• Seeds of Change
• Jon and Piza
• Jon’s progress
• Khan Kluay shows a softer side
• a special day for BLES visitors
• Mee Chok and Pang Suai
• The TARGET of target training