Can elephants carry weight on their back?
Off the battlefield, elephants were used to transport heavy goods, such as weapons and building materials.
For over 4,000 years, cultures have tamed these large and majestic animals to do work for which they are not built, both mentally and physically.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, ancient Asian rulers used elephants like modern tanks, storming atop them into battle at about 30 km/hour, trampling down enemy troops. In India and Sri Lanka, special weapons and armor were made for battle elephants. Iron chains with heavy steel balls at the end were tied to the trunks of war elephants, who were then trained to swirl them menacingly and with great skill.
Off the battlefield, elephants were used to transport heavy goods, such as weapons and building materials. Kings also used elephants when on the hunt.
Even today, the timber industry in Asia uses elephants to haul and pull down trees and carry tourists on their backs.
When a World Animal Protection initiative highlighted the cruel conditions in which these elephants were kept, many organizations objected to elephant riding due to the abuse to which the animals are subjected during training and captivity.
The first thing you should know about an elephant is that there is no way for you to climb on the back of a wild elephant and survive. All elephants used for such riding activities are tamed. Elephant taming is called elephant crushing or phajaan in Thailand.
Young calves are separated from their mothers and shackled in a small room, then tortured with hooks and other sharp tools. To further crush their spirit, they are starved and deprived of sleep. This horrific, inhumane process is being carried out to turn this majestic wild animal into a submissive servant. Even adult elephants are tortured daily to keep them submissive.
In order to keep up with trekking, the Mahout will often nudge the elephant with a hook to keep it moving. Elephants remember the hook from the ‘taming process’ and fear immediately surges within them. Sometimes, this fear can lead to a reaction that endangers both the elephant and the riders.
Now, the spine of an elephant is anatomically not built to carry weight on its back. The combined weight of the mahout, the seat and the passengers is simply too much for the elephant’s back.
Elephants have sharp bony protrusions that extend from the spine in an upwards direction. These bony protrusions and the tissue that protects them are vulnerable to weight and pressure from above. Thus, when passengers sit on the back of an elephant, they put pressure on these spiny bone structures, which feel like needles stabbing their skin from the inside.
An elephant is often forced to carry about 450 kg on its back, taking into account the combined weights of a mahout and up to four adult tourists. To make matters worse, the carriages remain on the elephant’s back, even when resting. Prolonged bruising of these back tissues can lead to severe damage to the spine of an elephant. Elephants with permanent spinal damage are abandoned.
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