IV 

 SHIPPING WILD ANIMALS 



LEPHANTS are easily trained and, when they 

 once get the idea of what is expected of them, 

 they will do it over and over with little variation. 

 A trick or a certain kind of work immediately be- 

 comes a habit with them. In fact, they can form 

 habits more rapidly than any other animals I have 

 ever seen. 



In Burma there are large lumber mills, and ele- 

 phants are used for rolling the logs into position 

 for the saws. Pushing with their heads, they run 

 the logs up two inclined skids to the platform. Two 

 elephants do the pushing and a third elephant acts 

 as boss. The boss need not be an especially intelli- 

 gent animal ; he is simply taught that the log must 

 go up the skids in a certain way and that the two 

 pushers must be kept even. In his trunk he carries 

 a few links of anchor chain, which he uses as a 

 whip. If one elephant falls behind, the boss gives 

 him a rap with the chain. When the log is on the 

 platform, the pushers turn and plod back for an- 

 other. The boss elephant is quite unimpressed by 

 his authority, and the others show no resentment 

 when he swings the chain on them. 



When the whistle blows, the elephants know that 



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