The elephant (_Elephas indicus_) is found in many parts of India,
though not in the north-west. Contrary to what might be anticipated
from its size and from the habits of its African cousin, the Indian
elephant is now, at any rate, an inhabitant, not of the plains, but of
the hills; and even on the hills it is usually found among the higher
ridges and plateaus, and not in the valleys. From the peninsula of
India the elephant has been gradually exterminated, being only found
now in the primeval forests of Coorg, Mysore and Travancore, and in
the tributary state of Orissa. It still exists in places along the
_tarái_ or submontane fringe of the Himalayas. The main source of
supply at the present time is the confused mass of hills which forms
the north-east boundary of British India, from Assam to Burma. Two
varieties are there distinguished, the _gunda_ or tusker, and the
_makna_ or _hine_, which has no tusks. The reports of the height of
the elephant, like those of its intelligence, seem to be exaggerated.
The maximum is probably 12 ft. If hunted, the elephant must be
attacked on foot, and the sport is therefore dangerous, especially as
the animal has but few parts vulnerable to a bullet. The regular mode
of catching elephants is by means of a _keddah_, or gigantic stockade,
into which a wild herd is driven, then starved into submission, and
tamed by animals already domesticated. The practice of capturing them
in pitfalls is discouraged as cruel and wasteful. Elephants now form a
government monopoly everywhere in India. The shooting of them is
prohibited, except when they become dangerous to man or destructive to
the crops; and the right of capturing them is only leased out upon
conditions. A special law, under the title of "The Elephants
Preservation Act" (No. VI. of 1879), regulates this licensing system.
Whoever kills, captures or injures an elephant, or attempts to do so,
without a licence, is punishable by a fine of 500 rupees for the first
offence; and a similar fine, together with six months' imprisonment,
for a second offence. Though the supply is decreasing, elephants
continue to be in great demand. Their chief use is in the timber trade
and for government transport. They are also bought up by native chiefs
at high prices for purposes of ostentation.
Rhinoceros.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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