(MY) elephants

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2007/11/19 - New Straits Times

 

Permit for elephant-tamer of Batu Gajah to keep his animals

By : Sulaiman Jaafar

 

 

For the people of Batu Gajah near here, it is common for them to see

Ibrahim Yahya, 70, walking or riding on an elephant around the

village.

 

Ibrahim, or simply Pak Him Gajah to the locals here, is an elephant

trainer and the only person in the country given a permit by the

Wildlife Department to keep the animals.

 

He is originally from Yala, southern Thailand and came to the country

as a teenager before getting married and settling down at Kampung

Rempah here.

 

Ibrahim who has been rearing and training elephants his entire life,

supplements his income by renting out the elephants at ceremonies and

carnivals all over the country.

 

" Rearing elephant is nothing new to me as my grandfather and father

kept elephants when I was growing up in Yala. I learned the art from

them, " he said.

 

At one time in the 1980s, Ibrahim kept five elephants but two of them

died and he later sold another two. He is now left with Deli, a

40-year old bull elephant which had been with him for nearly 20 years.

 

Ibrahim said all the elephants were given to him by the local zoos and

the Wildlife Department as they were unable to tame the animals.

 

" Surprisingly, they were obedient when they came under my training.

Maybe, is just a matter of experience, " he said.

 

Ibrahim and Deli is much sought for various ceremonies and

celebrations and had gone on numerous ocassions up to Kuala Lumpur and

Johor.

 

" I charge organisers RM500 for appearances around here and RM3,000 to

RM5,000 for KL and Johor.

 

" Income, however, is irregular. Sometimes, I received up to two

invitations a month but sometimes, there would be nothing for months, "

he said.

 

Ibrahim is also sought after by the department and the public whenever

herds of elephants attacked farms and villages in the area.

 

He had imparted his knowledge to one of his children, Suhaimi, 22, who

has since joined the elephant unit of the department at Kuala Gandah

in Pahang.

 

" The department has also approached me to come to Kuala Gandah to

train the rangers and I have accepted the offer, " he said.

 

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