Men who see the elephant — mahouts of Chhatbir Zoo

Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 25

It has been 15 days since Chhatbir Zoo’s only bull (male) Asiatic elephant, Raj Mangal, died at the age of 70, leaving behind his grieving ‘widow’ Hema in the care of his 45-year-old mahout Akhtar Khan. Along with Khan, two mahouts Apurba Deka (45) and Manjay Boro (25) look after the other two elephants, Maya and Parvati, while Aujid Thakuria (45) supervises them.

From feeding, bathing and training the mammoth mammals to keeping them in company, the task of a mahout is not an easy one. Not only are mahouts at the risk of suffering near-fatal injuries while taming the wild mammal, their very fate depends on the bond they share with it. With no elephant, there is no mahout; and that’s why Mangal’s death has become a haunting worry for Akhtar, who is not yet a permanent employee of the zoo and earns just as much as the youngest mahout, Boro.

In 1997, when Mangal was brought to Chhatbir, one among the only six zoos of India allowed to maintain elephants, Akhtar accompanied him. Then, Mangal’s fierce reputation had got him shunted out of the Rohtak Forest Range Complex. The then Chief Wildlife Warden had ordered to shoot him down. “He was a dangerous elephant. He was not shot dead because animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi intervened and even the Delhi zoo refused to keep him. He had rioted Rohtak, causing heavy financial damage to the public, and even killed a couple of persons. But he was going through a bad bout of musth,” says Akhtar, a lanky, bearded and turbaned man who had been Mangal’s mahout since he was tamed by the sadhus. “I had been with him for over 28 years,” he smiles, drawing our attention to his broken teeth.

“He broke five of my front teeth with a stroke of his tail. That’s not all; he broke my leg and my arm as I fell while taming him,” he says.

Akhtar earns Rs 16,000 a month. “It takes a lifetime to become a mahout. You have to establish a bond with the elephant and win his confidence. With Mangal gone, I have nothing left to do here except looking after Hema. Every other mahout is a permanent employee, except me,” he says.

While Akhtar consoles himself and Hema, he hopes for a better salary and a fixed job.

M Sudhagar, Field Director of the zoo, says that Akhtar was on the seniority list of the department. “He was not around for a few months and as per government policy, one must complete 10 years to become a permanent employee. We are pursuing his case,” he says. Though Sudhagar’s word pacifies him, it fails to fill the void that Mangal left behind.

Familial profession

The second-generation mahout of Chhatbir, Aujid Thakuria, takes after his father’s profession. Jaadu Ram Thakuria was one of the first mahouts of the zoo. “I don’t deal with elephants anymore. My hip bone broke accidentally while riding Rajkali in 2002. I only supervise them, manage their fodder and look after their area. Since it is winters, they are fed 2.5 quintals of sugarcane, tree fodder, jaggery and garlic too, twice a day. Also, I prepare their daily medical report,” he says. Thakuria is also the highest paid of the zoo’s mahouts and draws up to  Rs 35,000 every month.

Vast experience, but least paid

With no elephant, there is no mahout; and that’s why tusker Raj Mangal’s death has become a worry for Akhtar Khan, who is not a permanent employee of the zoo yet and earns just as much as the youngest mahout, Manjay Boro. “It takes a lifetime to become a mahout. You have to establish a bond with the elephant and win his confidence. With Mangal gone, I have nothing left to do here except looking after Hema. Every other mahout is a permanent employee, except me,” says Akhtar.

Mahout-cum-reptile expert

The most experienced of the lot, Apurba Deka, follows a one-shot formula while taming the tuskers. He has a long form for the word ‘mahawat’. “M is for management, A is for action, H is for handling, A is for activity, W is for waiting and T is for technique: that’s how you tame the beast. A mahout must never let the elephant know of the power it has over humans. I am strict with them, so I scold them, but I care for them. They are like human babies,” he says. With 25 years of hands-on experience, Deka, who belongs to the Sarania Kachari tribe, says that his community worships plants and animals. He is also the only reptile expert in the zoo. “Though I make about Rs 30,000, it is not the remuneration, but the passion for wildlife that keeps me going,” he says.

New on the job

The youngest mahout at the zoo, Manjay Boro, too earns as much as Akhtar. He only has six years of experience. “I am an Assamese Bodo and we worship elephants. I was brought here by Prasanna Kumar, who retired recently. He looked after Parvati and trained me for three years. Elephants take time to get acquainted with humans. You have to talk to them, befriend them, every time before approaching them.”