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| Thai Wildlife > Elephant |
Traditional Herbal Remedies for Thai Elephants
1. Background
Humans and elephants share a long history, as the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) was first domesticated at least 4,000 years ago (Lair, 1997). In Thailand, humans have used elephants for centuries for logging and heavy labour. However, with the 1989 ban on logging and the dwindling wild elephant population, the majority of Thai elephants have become tourist attractions.
Historically, elephants in Thailand originated from either the northeast or northwest of Thailand. Today, most of them have been relocated to tourist destinations: those from the northeast are in camps around Pattaya and those from the northwest are around Chiang Mai.
A handler known as a mahout looks after and trains each elephant. The mahout, as the primary care-giver, is responsible for the health and well-being of the elephant. Veterinary medicine, as practised today, is a relatively new profession, yet mahouts have been caring for elephants for centuries.
Even with modern veterinary medicine, minimal veterinary care for elephants and the resources to pay for the care are available. Therefore, mahouts have had to rely on traditional herbal remedies for the treatment of a variety of elephant ailments. Herbal medicine is deeply rooted in Thai culture and continues to be well-documented and studied. However, a comprehensive evaluation of natural remedies used for Thai elephants has not yet been recorded.
The Thai Society for the Conservation of Wild Animals (TSCWA) established a mobile elephant veterinary unit to service over 100 elephants in the greater Pattaya area. The Society has also worked with elephant camps in the north of Thailand and has access to Karen hill tribes in northern wildlife sanctuaries. These working relationships afford the TSCWA a unique opportunity to interact with mahouts and document their traditional herbal remedies.
This study was therefore undertaken to survey Thai mahouts, collate information on existing herbal remedies for elephants and identify those with potential benefit. In the absence of veterinary care, this information may provide an inexpensive alternative for relief of common ailments. It will also serve as the basis for future research and can give the TSCWA the opportunity to combine herbal remedies with modern veterinary medicine to maximize elephant health and welfare.
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