Bengkulu elephants are trained with many skills, but jobless

Bengkulu elephants are trained with many skills, but jobless

By Maswandi

BENGKULU (Antara): The trainer's screams now and then broke
the silence of the Elephant Training Center in Seblat, Puteri
Hijau subdistrict. The mahout was training the big beasts to do
jobs too heavy for humans and to do circus tricks.

The elephants dutifully did what they were told. None of the
"trainees" appeared exhausted although they had been training
most of the day.

Many of the animals have been undergoing such vocational
training for several years now, but are not sure when they will
eventually get "employment". The most common jobs available for
the animals, which are protected by laws, are moving logs in the
forest for timber tycoons, doing tricks in the circus and
providing rides at amusement parks.

The training center in Seblat was established in 1992 covers
6,825 hectares of forested land. At least 37 elephants are
currently at the center waiting for prospective "employers".

Aceh, Riau and Way Kambas in Lampung have similar training
centers.

So far no individual or company has expressed interest in
employing or buying the elephants at Seblat and they are
currently supported by the government.

Sujatno, the head of the Bengkulu office of conservation, said
prospective buyers do not have to go through complicated
bureaucratic procedures to purchase an elephant. The most
important requirement is that they can explain why they want to
buy an elephant and that they are willing to reimburse the
government for the animal's training.

The elephants learn different skills at the center. Some are
trained to become entertainers and they learn tricks like
saluting spectators, walking in a line holding another elephant's
tail with their trunk, sitting on a wooden bench, playing soccer,
carrying posters, shaking "hands" with people, posing for photos
like a model, jumping and recognizing letters and doing simple
math.

Others are trained to carry logs in the forest, guard an area
from wild animals and free heavy equipment mired in the mud.

Few people are aware they can purchase one of these trained
elephants and even fewer realize what the animals are capable of
doing for humans.

"We have to admit we have not been doing enough to inform
people about this and that's why it is difficult to find
prospective buyers," Sujatno says.

Like in many other areas in Sumatra, elephants are considered
pests in Bengkulu. Large herds of elephants destroy crops and
houses when they roam through residential areas.

Supriyanto, an official at the Seblat training center, said
the wild animals can be trained to become good guys eager to help
their masters.

It takes a wild elephant several years to learn the skills
from the trainer, he said, adding that some elephants were
smarter than others and learned faster.

The first thing trainers do with a newly arrived elephant to
the center is make it feel accustomed to its new environment,
including its food. This requires between 10 and 20 days.

Then the newcomer undergoes training aimed at erasing its old
habits and instilling loyalty to its trainer. This stage requires
between three and six months. After successfully passing this
step, the elephant will begin the basic training course.

At this level, the trainer determines which elephants are best
at which skills, which will then be emphasized at the next level.

Rahmat, a trainer, says that the center's alumni are just as
qualified as or better than those animals from more well-known
elephant training schools in the world, such as in Thailand.

The "curriculum" at the Seblat center was adopted from that
used in Thailand, and the center's trainers were trained by Thai
experts.

"We train the animals with great patience and true love,"
Rahmat said. "This results in more obedient and clever alumni."

One thing that remains to be solved is how to make the best
use of the many trained elephants the center produces.

Sujatno has pledged to intensify the center's promotion of its
elephants by approaching amusement park owners and businesspeople
in the forestry industry.

Only after the trained elephants are employed will the center
be able to catch more elephants from the wild to be trained.

The wild elephant population in Bengkulu is estimated at 300.
They live in colonies in the northern and southern districts,
including Muko-Muko, Puteri Hijau and Kaur Tengah.