7th Indonesian Mahout Workshop

A wonderful group photo of all workshop participants, until next year!

The 7th Indonesian Mahout Workshop hosted by FOKMAS (Indonesian Mahout Communication Forum) was held from February 24-27, 2015, at the Minas government elephant training center  located in the province of Riau in Sumatra, Indonesia. Seventy participants attended the workshop and represented most of the Sumatran government elephant camps, Conservation Response Units (CRUs), and other elephant patrol units in Sumatra, as well as several zoos and safari parks from Sumatra, Java, and Bali. The majority of participants were mahouts, but some camp managers and veterinarians from private facilities also attended.

The Indonesian Mahout Workshops were initiated in 2006 at the Seblat government elephant conservation center in Bengkulu province (Sumatra) to provide an opportunity for mahouts to share information, strengthen their professionalism, and influence elephant conservation in Indonesia more effectively.

Banner showing all the sponsors that helped make the workshop possible

Several NGOs, including the International Elephant Foundation, Asian Elephant Support, and the Elephant Managers Association, provided workshop support to assist this professional training opportunity for mahouts. General issues discussed during the workshop included problems mahouts encounter in their elephant work and habitat conservation efforts, finding solutions to improve the care and management of Indonesia’s wild and captive elephants, and means to create an information network with colleagues throughout Asia. FOKMAS and the Mahout Workshops are supported by Indonesian government conservation agencies

During the first two days of the workshop several presentations and an informal hands-on session were given by visiting colleagues from the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE). The group from Myanmar included 2 MTE elephant veterinarians, an MTE manager, and a senior mahout (Singaung) from an MTE timber camp.  The Indonesian mahouts were very attentive to the presentations from their Myanmar counterparts, and good discussions resulted from the interactions.  The participants from Myanmar were impressed with the level of interest from the Indonesian mahouts and expressed the intention to develop similar meeting and training opportunities for mahouts in Myanmar.  As you may remember, Asian Elephant Support has helped fund both veterinarian and mahout workshops in Myanmar.

In addition to presentations, training in field navigation using maps and GPS units was conducted during the Workshop. This training was divided into two parts: theoretical background and hands-on practice in locations within the Minas camp area. All mahouts were instructed about various skills to deal with wildlife monitoring and illegal activities such as data collection and recording, GPS instruction, human-wildlife conflict mitigation techniques, and community relations. Building capacity of the mahouts with skills for improved forest protection and wildlife conservation also promotes improved job performance of these individuals.  

The final part of the Mahout Workshop included discussion among the participants about improving elephant facilities and management in Indonesia, and a wrap up of the field navigation and GPS sessions.

Lecture time

These Mahout Workshops and interactions with fellow mahouts from around Asia are very important for the mahout staff across Indonesia.  There is a need to continue these regional professional exchanges and training as this has resulted in positive outcomes.  In Indonesia, the government has requested input from FOKMAS about mitigating elephant conflict.  FOKMAS is currently in the planning stages for the next Mahout Workshop and will continue hosting mahout training modules so this level of staff can be more effective participants in elephant conservation initiatives in Indonesia.

Asian Elephant Support appreciates the opportunity we have had to be a part of this educational effort thanks to the support of our donors.  So that we will be able to help fund future workshops, please consider making a donation.  Our thanks!

Sounthone Phitsamone (Kan)

Kan modeling our bumper sticker

AES provided funding for a man named Sounthone Phitsamone (Kan), from the Elephant Conservation Center in Laos, PDR to attend the 2013 FOKMAS mahout workshop. AES has supported the Center on various projects over the last couple of years. We felt it would be helpful for Kan to attend this workshop to gain valuable knowledge from the mahouts in Indonesia. In turn, he would share this information with the mahouts in Laos. Watch for the January newsletter where we will highlight Kan’s trip to Indonesia.

Kan works at the ECC elephant hospital as an assistant to the veterinarians.  Most of the veterinarians speak English and not Laotian (native language of Laos), so Kan also serves as a translator for the veterinarians, mahouts, and owners.  Kan impressed Linda with his enthusiasm and passion for the elephants at the ECC and his English language skills. When Linda returned to the U.S., we began discussing ways to provide additional support to elephants in Laos, and the idea of helping Kan improve his scientific, husbandry, and welfare knowledge by attending the mahout workshop was an obvious choice.

Field Measurements

Because elephant healthcare and welfare knowledge in Laos is very limited, the knowledge and networking connections Kan gained at the mahout workshop will significantly benefit the 10  resident ECC elephants and approximately 300 other elephants that are treated by mobile clinics annually. Among the important elephant care issues discussed and demonstrated at the mahout workshop, Kan learned how critical it is for an elephant to be comfortable with being touched by the mahouts and veterinarians.  When medical treatment is needed, an elephant that is used to being touched by people will be calmer and more accepting of the medical care.  Kan was impressed with how calm, Theo, the male elephant from the Tangkahan ECC was while he had his feet worked on during the footwork demonstration, even though there was a crowd of people around him.  Kan learned how to properly take field measurements to estimate weights which will be very useful in determining correct medicine dosages for treating elephants in remote elephant camps where it is not feasible to use the portable scale donated by AES.

Kan also learned a wealth of useful information for caring for calves. There are currently two calves where Kan works at the ECC in Laos, one of which is an orphan.  Kan spoke at length with the mahouts during the breaks and meals to learn about the mahouts’ experiences with orphans and discussed his own experiences. They talked about elephant behavior, nutrition, feeding schedules, etc.  These discussions will most certainly improve care for orphan elephant calves in both Indonesia and Laos.

Even after the workshop was done for the day, Kan was still actively engaged.  Every evening he had a list of additional questions for Dr. Stremme about reproduction, nutrition, training, and more. Kan learned an incredible amount of practical information from Dr. Stremme.  Kan repeatedly said he couldn’t wait to get back to the ECC in Laos to share this information with veterinarians and mahouts to improve the health and welfare of the elephants in Laos.
 

It was a pleasure to support Kan.  We will continue to communicate with Kan and other participants of the mahout workshop to gain new insights into how AES can more effectively improve Asian elephant health, welfare and humane treatment by facilitating educational opportunities for the people who directly care for elephants in range countries.

Mahout Workshop

The Sumatran Mahout Communication Forum (FOKMAS) was established in 2006 and was the first time Indonesian mahouts have organized as a professional entity. The goal of FOKMAS is to improve communications and provide ongoing training via various modules during the annual mahout workshops. These workshops are supported by the Indonesian government and various NGOs, including AES. They have increased the capacity of its membership to participate and provide meaningful data for Sumatra wildlife conservation, habitat protection efforts, and improved the care of the captive elephants.

Workshop participants posting with the elephants.

The 6th mahout workshop was held from November 26 – 28 at the Elephant Conservation Center in Tangkahan, Sumatra and was attended by approximately 40 mahouts from around Indonesia. Director April Yoder was able to attend as a representative of AES.

There were presentations on various topics followed by hands-on demonstrations. The demonstrations included GPS training, the use of an ultrasound, footwork, obtaining field measurements to estimate the weight of an elephant, and actually weighing the elephants on a portable scale (donated by AES). These people are on the front lines of conservation in Indonesia, and it was wonderful to see, first-hand, the level of enthusiasm and participation by the mahouts.

Hands-on demonstration

Along with support for the workshop, AES also provided funding for a man named Sounthone Phitsamone (Kan), from the Elephant Conservation Center in Laos, PDR to attend this workshop. AES has supported the Center on various projects over the last couple of years. We felt it would be helpful for Kan to attend this workshop to gain valuable knowledge from the mahouts in Indonesia. In turn, he would share this information with the mahouts in Laos. View the Education and Travel Sponsorships page to read more about Kan's trip to the Mahout Workshop.

Kan modeling our bumper sticker