GUWAHATI
In Manas National Park and the Tiger Reserve in western Assam, mahouts learn to train elephants to respond to their commands without causing them pain.
Manas, with an area of 850 km2, borders Bhutan and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bansbari, the central range of the national park, is about 130 km northwest of Guwahati.
The international training program, which took place from 1 to 4 February 2026, brought together experts from Australia’s H-ELP Foundation and teams from Kaziranga National Park and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). Aim: to improve the living conditions of captive Asian elephants using modern evidence-based training methods. H-ELP extends to human-elephant training programs.
With nearly one-third of the world’s critically endangered Asian elephant population living in captivity, the program focused on implementing science-based ethical training methods.
“We worked with a team of specially selected mahouts from Manas and Kaziranga, focusing on wellness-friendly practices that replace traditional methods with stress-relieving positive reinforcement,” Andrew McLean, senior trainer at H-ELP Foundation, told The Hindu.
“The training involves four steps: voice command, direction of sticks, voice praise of shabash and feeding of food as a reward. The basic commands are to go back, step forward, lift a leg or lift anything. This helps a lot during regular vet checks when you need to treat the elephant. Ultimately, the goal is for the communication between the mahout and the elephant to be only voice and hand commands.”
Bhaskar Choudhury, a veterinarian at the Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation Center in Kaziranga, which runs WTI, said some mahouts tend to give elephants the stick treatment out of frustration when they don’t obey orders. “This training should help our mahouts, whose connection with elephants is valued, to be gentler with the gentle giants,” he said.
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Chief trainer Alom Ali of Manas Tiger Reserve said this approach is beneficial for both the animals and the handlers.
“A calm elephant is a safer elephant. These methods allow us to manage veterinary care and daily work without fear and pain. This is the future of elephant management,” he said.
The program is also shaping a new generation of mahouts. Younger dog handlers say the training has changed the way they communicate with animals weighing several tons.
“I used to think that louder commands meant better control,” said Dhaneshwar Kherkatary, a young mahout from Manas. “Now I understand that softer, consistent cues work better. Elephants respond because they trust us.”
Mark Trayling, chairman of the H-ELP Foundation, said the aim of the program is to equip a team of master trainers who pass on the module to younger mahouts and those who have a passion for working with elephants. He also highlighted the shared values of Australia and India in wildlife conservation.
“In Australia we are lucky to have kangaroos and koalas, and India is blessed with extraordinary wildlife like elephants, tigers, rhinos and lions. We are both working towards a common goal: to give these animals their best possible lives,” he said.
C. Ramesh, Field Director, Manas National Park, said the program highlights the nature reserve as an important part of global initiatives for holistic conservation.
“At Manas, we are proud to be at the forefront of elephant welfare, introducing cutting-edge, science-based methods to make the world kinder to elephants. This is a collaborative effort and shows what lasting and positive results can be achieved when we all work together,” he said.
Published – 05 Feb 2026 14:18 IST
