It has long been a tradition in Asia to capture elephants and then to tame them. Elephants have not been bred and adapted to human needs, as has happened with cattle. After they have been tamed, elephants are used as beasts of burden or to move heavy objects. Some elephants are used as a means of transportation for people in high places (quite literally!), for instance in a procession. Elephants were even used in wars: a kind of tower was put on their backs, from which soldiers had a good view. An elephant can carry about 500 kg on its back. Nowadays domesticated elephants are used to give rides to tourists because the use of machinery has made many working elephants unemployed. A domesticated elephant is usually given its own keeper, a mahout. It is a lot of work to feed and wash such an animal. Most mahouts are really devoted to their animal and take good care of it, although occasionally an elephant is mistreated. But beware: an elephant never forgets !

Many think that it is impossible to tame an African elephant, but it can be done. It is just that no tradition of capturing and taming elephants exists in Africa.

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