CHAPTER VII. 



THE CAPTURING OF WILD ELEPHANTS. 



METHOD ADOPTED FOR TAKING HERDS — CONSTITUTION OF A KHEDDAH PARTY — SKETCH OF 

 OPERATIONS — THE CATCHING OF SINGLE ELEPHANTS — FOLLOWING THEM DURING THK 

 NIGHT— PITFALLS — BARBARITY OF THIS METHOD— NOOSING — JUDGMENT REGARDING 

 RECAPTURED ELEPHANTS IN A CASE BEFORE THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURES, 

 CALCUTTA. 



THE following are the chief methods adopted for the capture of wild 

 elephants : — 



Driving into kheddahs or enclosures. 



Hunting with trained females. 



Pitfalls. 



Noosing from trained elephants' backs. 



The kheddah plan is the only one adapted for the capture of whole 

 herds, the others being for single elephants. It is the method in vogue by 

 the Government hunting establishments in Bengal, and is conducted as 

 follows: A hunting party is collected which consists of 370 men, all 

 accustomed and trained to the work. Their duties and scales of pay are 

 shown in the following roll. They are under the immediate control of the 

 jemadar, or native sergeant, who is responsible, under the European officer, 

 for the collecting of the men and the whole operations of the party. In 

 addition to their pay each man is allowed free rations at the rate of 2 lb. 

 of rice per diem, and 2 lb. of salt fish, chillies, and salt, per mensem. These 

 provisions ordinarily cost about Rs. 3 per head per mensem; and the total 

 cost of a party is Rs. 3800 (£380) per mensem. 



Attached to each elephant-hunting party there must be a number of 

 tame elephants, or koonkies, to deal with the wild elephants when captured ; 

 the number of which latter must depend upon the strength of the koonkie 



