Now that the mammoth is extinct, the elephant is the largest of all animals living, and the strongest. It is a strange-looking animal, with its thick legs, huge sides and back, large hanging ears, small tail, little eyes, long white tusks, and, above all, its long nose, called the trunk. The trunk is the elephant's peculiar feature, and it puts it to various uses. It draws up water by its trunk, and can squirt it all over its body like a shower bath; and with it, it picks leaves from the trees and puts them into its mouth. In fact, its trunk serves the elephant as a long arm and hand. Elephants look very clumsy and heavy, and yet they can move very quickly when they like.
Elephants are found in India and in Africa. The African elephant differs in some points from the Indian, being larger, with longer tusks and bigger ears. In fact, the two are considered to be different species. In both countries, they live in herds in the jungles, and are naturally shy animals that keep away from men. Elephants, with their great size and strength, are fine advertisement for vegetarianism, for they live entirely on leaves of trees, grass, roots and bulbs.
The elephant is a very intelligent animal, and its intelligence combined with its great strength, makes it, when tamed, a very useful servant to man; and it has been trained to serve in various ways.
Elephants can carry heavy loads about a thousand seers each; and they are used to draw heavy wagons and big guns that would require many horses. They are very skilful, too, in piling timber. The trained elephant will kneel down, lift a heavy log of wood with its tusks, carry it to the place where it is wanted, and lay it exactly in position.
Elephants are also trained for tiger-hunting. The huntsmen sit in the howdah on the back of the elephant, which is driven and guided by the driver, called the mahout, who squats on its neck. In this way the hunters are carried through the thickest, and at such a height that they can see and fire at the tiger when it is driven out.
In old days elephants were used in battles, and all Indian Rajas had their regiments of trained fighting elephants. And they still have their place in state processions, when they are painted with bright colours and covered with silk and velvet clothes.
In Africa elephants are hunted mainly for their tusks, which are made of ivory and are very valuable. Their skins are so thick that an ordinary bullet will not pierce them; and so large guns, called elephant-guns, are used to kill the animals. Many elephants are caught alive to be tamed and trained . But catching elephants alive is difficult and dangerous work ; for, though the elephant is a shy, wild animal when left alone, it can be a dangerous enemy when attacked . Elephants are generally caught alive in great traps or enclosures , called keddahs.
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