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ELEPHANT TECHNIQUES AT HAMBURG ZOO

ELEPHANT TECHNIQUES AT HAMBURG ZOO EVER since the Stellingen Animal Park at Hamburg has existed, the greatest importance has always been attached to the taming of elephants. Until 1936this was indispensable for a special reason, namely, because the elephants were kept chained up in a hall of the large main building, and because the necessary exercise could be procured for them only by walks in the park and partly outside it. Also, after the opening of the new Elephant House which included an open, fenceless enclosure, t h i s principle was pursued still further. Immediately on arrival, newly imported young African and Indian Elephants are chained by their fore and hmd-legs. As the result of daily contact with the experienced staff,after a period of some months they become so tame that they allow themselves to be touched on every part of their body without fear. When this stage has been reached, they are attached to a tame leader-elephant and are taught to obey the commands of the keeper as they are taken for walks around the zoo and park. Without exception, all young elephants are trained to learn the fundamental work of circus training and as soon as they are old enough, and for as long as they have a gentle disposition, they are made to carry a saddle. Later on, they are also taught to work in harness, to use their heads for pushing and to carry logs of wood in their mouths. While they are in the open enclosurewhere both African and Indian Elephants run together, they are looked after permanently by a special attendant who more or less takes the place of the leader-elephant and adjusts disputes by ‘acclamation’ or active intervention. These training methods have produced very good results. at Stellingen to date. Adult bull elephants have not been kept at Stellingen on account of the danger to keepers. At the moment the zoo has a five-year-old male African Elephant. I1 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Zoo Yearbook Wiley

ELEPHANT TECHNIQUES AT HAMBURG ZOO

Hagenbeck, Carl
International Zoo Yearbook , Volume 2 (1) – Jan 1, 1961
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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 1961 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
0074-9664
eISSN
1748-1090
DOI
10.1111/j.1748-1090.1960.tb02706.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

EVER since the Stellingen Animal Park at Hamburg has existed, the greatest importance has always been attached to the taming of elephants. Until 1936this was indispensable for a special reason, namely, because the elephants were kept chained up in a hall of the large main building, and because the necessary exercise could be procured for them only by walks in the park and partly outside it. Also, after the opening of the new Elephant House which included an open, fenceless enclosure, t h i s principle was pursued still further. Immediately on arrival, newly imported young African and Indian Elephants are chained by their fore and hmd-legs. As the result of daily contact with the experienced staff,after a period of some months they become so tame that they allow themselves to be touched on every part of their body without fear. When this stage has been reached, they are attached to a tame leader-elephant and are taught to obey the commands of the keeper as they are taken for walks around the zoo and park. Without exception, all young elephants are trained to learn the fundamental work of circus training and as soon as they are old enough, and for as long as they have a gentle disposition, they are made to carry a saddle. Later on, they are also taught to work in harness, to use their heads for pushing and to carry logs of wood in their mouths. While they are in the open enclosurewhere both African and Indian Elephants run together, they are looked after permanently by a special attendant who more or less takes the place of the leader-elephant and adjusts disputes by ‘acclamation’ or active intervention. These training methods have produced very good results. at Stellingen to date. Adult bull elephants have not been kept at Stellingen on account of the danger to keepers. At the moment the zoo has a five-year-old male African Elephant. I1

Journal

International Zoo Yearbook – Wiley

Published: Jan 1, 1961

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