WEPA - Working Elephant Programme of Asia

Working Elephant Programme of Asia
Science-based, animal-friendly methods for management of working elephants

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Workshops

WEPA workshops include hands-on tutoring in elephant training and handling, as well as expert information on management and health.

We have develped the concept of workshops in Nepal, and hope it will also serve other countries in the future.

Tailoring for Local Needs

The planning phase for a workshop in a new location includes acquiring detailed knowledge on existing elephant handling practices, general information on elephant management in the area, and problems that the staff may experience and would like to have solved. This background information helps tailor the content of the workshop so that it will be as useful as possible for the participants.

Topics of Workshops

Workshops given so far have covered topics such as how to control elephants with maximal precision and minimal pressure, how to apply an understanding of the natural behaviour of elephant into improving the relationship of the mahout and elephant, and improved ways to use elephant controlling tools such as an ankus (bullhook) or a stick.

In some of the workshops, we have also invited local experts on elephant health to give lectures on topics such as nutrition, vaccinations, parasites, treatment of injuries, and early identification of symptoms of diseases.

For future workshops, one aspect that can be also included would be improved design of living environments for captive elephants. Changes in housing and management practices can be planned to reduce chronic stress, and therefore to improve long-term health and to reduce aggression, can be reduced by changes in housing and management. Some examples include chaining elephants in a way that allows natural movements, allowing touching and other social contact between mutually friendly elephants, and transforming the feeding routines to also function as environmental enrichment.

The workshops consist of alternating sessions of theoretical lectures and practical hands-on sessions with elephants.

A lecture session in the 2007 workshop at Chitwan, Nepal. The speaker in the photo is Purna Kunwar of WWF Nepal. The posters on the left are from the previous lecture, covering the effects of saddle designs on elephant healt and introducing ideas from different saddle types used in African elephantback safaris.

Smiling after a day of work: some of the participants and organizers of a WEPA workshop in December 2007 at the Elephant Breeding Centre of Khorsor in Chitwan, Nepal. The fifth person from the right is Rameshwor Chaudhary, the Subbha (head) of the Breeding Centre. Counting from the left, the second is Marc Pierard, the manager of WEPA's field team of the year 2007 and one of the lecturers at the workshop; the third is Ranjana Pajiyar, WEPA's assistant and interpreter; sixth, Dr. Kamal Gairhe, the leading wildlife veterinarian in Nepal and another one of the lecturers at the workshop; seventh, Chandra Man Tamang, Subbha of the Elephant Breeding Centre of Bardia; ninth, Dr. Andrew McLean, WEPA's Head of Science and Training and one of the lecturers at the workshop; eleventh, Purna Kunwar, Project Manager for WWF Nepal, who carried out a large part of the practical arrangements of the workshop; thirteenth, Tuire Kaimio, an animal trainer who participated in demonstrating the training principles; and fourteenth, Buddhan Chaudhary, Subbha of the Elephant Breeding Centre of Koshi Tappu.