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Miniatures Adventure => Colonial Adventures => Topic started by: whiffwaff on June 16, 2013, 03:53:26 PM

Title: Elephants in DA
Post by: whiffwaff on June 16, 2013, 03:53:26 PM

Hi Guys,

I cant seem to find any references of Elephants ever being used as hunting platforms or transports like they were in the British Raj.

Can anyone shed any light?

cheers

Adam

Title: Re: Elephants in DA
Post by: Hu Rhu on June 16, 2013, 03:59:51 PM

As I understand it African elephants cannot be tamed as easily as their Indian counterparts.  Perhaps that is why.

Title: Re: Elephants in DA
Post by: former user on June 16, 2013, 04:02:57 PM

simply: no

Title: Re: Elephants in DA
Post by: Bugsda on June 16, 2013, 04:05:55 PM

I've read that the African Elephant is a lot more aggressive than the Indian version.

it's understandable considering they get shot at a lot more.

Title: Re: Elephants in DA
Post by: whiffwaff on June 16, 2013, 04:23:56 PM

Cool, thanks for the info.

Title: Re: Elephants in DA
Post by: FifteensAway on June 16, 2013, 04:45:41 PM

Curious question, then.  Are all the performing elephants in the various circuses of Indian extraction?  I have some vague recollection that the Barnum show, last time I went, had both African and Indian elephants.  Could be wrong.  Might give bearing to some possible what ifs...

Title: Re: Elephants in DA
Post by: Dr Mathias on June 16, 2013, 05:01:15 PM

Quote from: Bugsda on June 16, 2013, 04:05:55 PM

I've read that the African Elephant is a lot more aggressive than the Indian version.

it's understandable considering they get shot at a lot more.

 lol

Title: Re: Elephants in DA
Post by: Plynkes on June 17, 2013, 12:25:43 AM

Indian elephants were shipped to the Congo (and possibly other places) but they couldn't cope with the local diseases and invariably died. So the Belgians tried their hands at taming the local variety. They weren't entirely unsuccessful. The Belgian elephant domestication program began in 1906, and as far as I know continued right the way up to independence.

The untameable nature of the African elephant is somewhat exaggerated...

(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/13/163_17_06_13_1_10_47.jpg)
... though you have to watch them, as they never really totally accept the idea of servitude the way Indian elephants do.






Though this would be the most common involvement of elephants in Darkest Africa scenarios...

(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/13/163_17_06_13_1_04_18.jpg)

(It would seem that the twit of an artist used an Indian elephant as his model, it's supposed to be an African one.)