FOR the last 10 years, the Orang Asli from the Che Wong tribe in the peninsula have been training as mahouts or elephant keepers with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in Pahang.
The programme not only teaches the Orang Asli how to take care of elephants but adds to their skill-set. It also benefits Perhilitan to recruit those most familiar with the lay of the land as well as establish a working relationship with indigenous groups.
The Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre is currently home to 25 elephants rescued from across the peninsula. When the centre rescues an elephant, a mahout will look after and train the animal for three years. – March 5, 2018.
Mahouts from the Che Wong tribe bathing the elephants at the Kuala Gandah Elephang Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang. For a decade, the Orang Asli have been training as mahouts. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, March 5, 2018.A mahout cleaning an elephant at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, March 5, 2018.A mahout cleaning an elephant at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, March 5, 2018.Mahouts riding their elephants before a show at Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, March 5, 2018.‘Indah’ saluting the audience at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, March 5, 2018.Visitors bathing an elephant under the watchful eyes of a mahout at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, March 5, 2018. Mahouts bringing their elephants near the barricades for the audience's close encounter with pachyderms during a show at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, March 5, 2018.Visitors enjoying the sight of mahouts bathing the elephants at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, March 5, 2018.Mahouts riding their elephants as tourists look on at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, March 5, 2018.Tourists getting up close and personal with an elephant at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, March 5, 2018.
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