Elephants are admired for their strength, intelligence and memory, but to live and work with such powerful animals they must be trained. In Nepal this is done using centuries old techniques passed from one generation to the next, but these methods can be cruel and sometimes ineffective.
Whilst travelling through Asia, a Finnish science journalist, Helena Telkranranta noted that there was much to improve in the training of Asian working elephants: an injection of modern animal training techniques. Enlisting the support of the WWF (World Wildlife fund) and the WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals), the Nepal Elephant Training Project was born.
A Finnish animal trainer, Tuire Kaimio who specialised in positive reinforcement joined the team, however because elephant training, like horse training, involves the use of negative reinforcement (where body-pressure signals are learned), the team realised they needed a trainer specialised in such techniques. They searched zoos throughout Europe for a suitable animal training expert, but to no avail.
Then they heard that Dr. Andrew McLean an Australian horse scientist, was conducting a clinic in Helsinki and went along to see Andrew deal with various problem behaviour issues in horses using an eclectic mix of dressage training and ‘learning theory’. Training in this way is not only incredibly effective and efficient but is also the most humane.
Elephants form a large part of the impoverished Nepalese economy, yet the death and injury rate as a result of traditional training is unacceptably high. These giant animals can be as much as 3.5 metres tall (over 11 feet) and weigh 3.5 tonnes. They have excellent memories, and when the males come into season (called ‘musth’), testosterone levels soar to 60 times normal. And they don’t forget their tormentors!
When they are confused they show conflict behaviours just like horses do, and they usually get the blame for it too, just like horses do. Yet elephants, like all animals, learn easily and without stress with consistent operant and Pavlovian conditioning.
The staff at Perth and Melbourne zoo generously gave Andrew ample opportunities to familiarise himself with their elephants. Then Andrew joined the WWF/WSPA sponsored team in Nepal to design and implement a teachable step-by-step training programme based on ‘learning theory’ that has the potential to greatly improve the welfare of working elephants throughout Asia, as well as improve the image of elephant training practices.
By day four of the workshop, Nepalese Mahouts riding two four-year old elephants, Saraswati Kali and Kush Prasad, showed the basic moves of go, stop, step-back, and turn in an open jungle clearing (watch the video).
The Nepalese adapted remarkably quickly to the use of modern learning theory. They were the best students imaginable and enthusiasm for the programme is already spreading beyond the borders of Nepal to other cultures that utilize working Elephants as part of their cultural heritage such as Thailand and India.
Dr. Andrew Mclean was appointed head trainer for the newly formed Working Elephant Programme of Asia (WEPA) from 2007 to 2009 and as such has helped teach an old culture new techniques and provided an effective training method to replace the inhumane treatment of elephants.
Want to ‘HELP’ visit Dr. McLean’s Human Elephant Learning Programs (HELP) online there you learn about the trainers and the theory behind the technique with free educational material and opportunity to donate to this important fund.
