Overview
- Running February 1–4, the programme brought Australia’s H-ELP Foundation together with teams from Kaziranga National Park and the Wildlife Trust of India at the UNESCO-listed reserve.
- Trainers taught a four-step method—voice command, stick direction, verbal praise (“shabash”), and food reward—covering core cues such as moving forward or back, lifting a leg, and picking up objects.
- Organisers said the techniques aim to produce calmer elephants and make daily management and veterinary procedures safer and less stressful for animals and staff.
- A cohort of “Master Mahouts” was groomed as lead trainers to pass the module to new recruits across northern India as part of a wider rollout.
- H-ELP lead trainer Andrew McLean and park officials praised the mahouts’ welfare focus, noting the importance of humane handling for captive elephants that support patrolling and other conservation work.