Mahout Perspectives on Asian Elephants and Their Living Conditions.

ABSTRACT: The skills, knowledge, and expertise of mahouts have been recognized by organizations and individual managers who are responsible for captive elephants and by academics, where they have been a source of studies from the ethnographic to animal behavior research. In this study, I used semi-structured interviews in local languages to explore individual experiences of mahouts in Nepal. I also investigated perspectives on elephant welfare, including the use of corral (fenced) enclosures. I undertook a further key informant interview in English to gain more discursive perspectives on the topics. Our results revealed that mahouts at the study site are unlikely to come from multi-generational families of mahouts. All mahouts referenced the religious significance of elephants in their country when

SUBMITTER: Mumby HS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6912500 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature