Three government positions have been opened for the first time for mahouts in the National Parks and Wildlife Department, whose main task is to remove wild elephants from people’s areas.
Speaking on Thai Elephant Day today, Atthaphon Charoenchansa, the department’s director-general, said that, when people alert his department about wild elephants wandering into their living areas, he hires local mahouts to handle the situation, but the department believes it should have its own officials for the task.
The department’s mahouts will receive a salary of Bt13,000-Bt14,000 per month and those interested must have at least five years of experience as a mahout and provide references from local leaders, such as a village headman, to confirm their experience.
"Removing a wild elephant from an area is a challenge that requires the participation of nearly a hundred officials and local people. The job is also risky," he said.
Most requests for assistance in removing elephants come from the eastern forests, and many of the animals return to the areas after being relocated.
Taweepoke Angkawanish, chief veterinarian at the Elephant Hospital, of the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang, said that mahouts have become rare nowadays, as the profession is traditionally passed down within families, from father to son.
“The knowledge has always been transferred within families and within a tightly knit community. If someone wants to enter this career, they must enter that community,” Taweepoke said, adding that this is the reason the number of mahouts has been declining.
“It is unlike about 50 years ago, when the job was popular and provided a high income because, at that time, we were engaged in logging and needed elephants and mahouts.
“I think that the mahout profession may become extinct before the elephants,” he said.
The Forestry Industry Organisation has launched a program to certify local mahouts, who must have at least one year of experience, according to the vet.
