The Wild Elephant and the Method of Capturing and Taming it in CeylonTennent, James Emerson, Sir
History
The Wild Elephant and the Method of Capturing and Taming it in Ceylon
Tennent, James Emerson, Sir
Elephants -- Sri Lanka
The dam of the youngest was the second elephant singled out by the
noosers, and as she was dragged along by the decoys, the little
creature kept by her side till she was drawn close to the fatal tree.
The men at first were rather amused than otherwise by its anger; but
they found that it would not permit them to place the second noose upon
its mother; it ran between her and them, it tried to seize the rope,
it pushed them and struck them with its little trunk, till they were
forced to drive it back to the herd. It retreated slowly, shouting
all the way, and pausing at every step to look back. It then attached
itself to the largest female remaining in the group, and placed itself
across her fore legs, whilst she hung down her trunk over its side
and soothed and caressed it. Here it continued moaning and lamenting,
till the noosers had left off securing its mother, when it instantly
returned to her side; but as it became troublesome again, attacking
every one who passed, it was at last tied up by a rope to an adjoining
tree, to which the other young one was also tied. The second little
one, equally with its playmate, exhibited great affection for its dam;
it went willingly with its captor as far as the tree to which she was
fastened, and in passing her stretched out its trunk and tried to
rejoin her; but finding itself forced along, it struggled and caught
at every twig and branch within its reach, screaming with grief and
disappointment.
These two little creatures were the most vociferous of the whole herd,
their shouts were incessant, they struggled to attack everyone within
reach; and as their bodies were more lithe and pliant than those of
greater growth, their contortions were quite wonderful. The most
amusing thing was, that in the midst of all their agony and affliction,
the little fellows seized on every article of food that was thrown to
them, and munched and roared simultaneously.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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