A paradigm shift in the management of musth among bull elephants in captivity in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The phenomenon of musth among Asian elephants has been known since ancient times. Musth is a temporary post-pubertal, reproductive phenomenon commonly observed in the healthy male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) both in the wild and in captivity. However, the treatment of musth bulls in Asia has remained almost unchanged. The traditional way of dealing with musth bulls involves restraining the animals by tethering them to trees and reducing the food intake so as to weaken them, with the assumption that they would drop out of musth faster. But such methods can cause severe wounds on the legs from the ropes used to tie the animals, and make the bulls more aggressive and traumatic, thereby posing a serious danger to their keepers or mahouts. The alternative method described in the paper provides a strong, safe, and secure tool for the management of musth bulls in captivity. The method not only assures the safety of the bulls but ensures that of the mahouts as well. Being a predominantly Buddhist country, Sri Lanka can lead the way in promoting the bull pen as an alternative tool in the management of bulls in musth, while assuring the utmost safety of their keepers.