Api Elephant Domestication Center

<h2 id="history">History</h2>
The project to tame elephants was initiated by decree of <a href="/facts/Leopold_II_of_Belgium/eSC0yoVk">King Leopold</a>. The Center at Kira Vunga was opened in 1899. The first animals were trained in 1902 under the direction of Commandant Jules Laplume, a Belgian cavalry officer.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a> The <a href="/facts/World_War_I/vITTUanQ">first World War</a> put the operation on hold, and Laplume was captured by German forces, returning to Congo in 1918.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a> The work was transferred to Api in 1925.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a>
After initially failing to capture any animals, as many as ten elephants were successfully captured and living in captivity by 1910.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a>
Taming operations were partly shifted to <a href="/facts/Gangala-na-Bodio_Elephant_Domestication_Center/26KXIFtk">Gangala-na-Bodio</a> in 1930<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a> and the camp at Api closed in 1932.
In 1987 elephant training was restarted again at Api.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a>

<h2 id="domestication-purpose">Domestication purpose</h2>
The initiative to use elephants for work is said to have been inspired by reports that an orphaned elephant calf had been partly tamed by missionaries in the Congo.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a> Elephants promised to provide not only tsetse-resistant draft animals, they were also estimated to be ten to twenty times as strong as oxen.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a>

<h2 id="notes">Notes</h2>

<ul><li>Denis, Armand (1963). On safari; the story of my life (1 ed.). New York: Dutton.</li>
<li>Fraser, Ronald (1954-08-08). "Savage Giants Of Jungle Taught To Do Work Of Man". Toledo Blade. Brussels, Belgium. p. 3.</li>
<li>Gatti, Attilio (March 1932). <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Touc6KZnPlYC&q=ten+oxen+elephants+twenty+congo&pg=PA52">"Elephant Hunt!"</a>. <a href="/facts/Boys%2527_Life/Pu6gQVpH">Boys' Life</a>. Vol. 22, no. 3. pp. 13–52. Retrieved 2012-09-27.</li>
<li>Gavron, Jeremy (1993-06-01). <a href="https://archive.org/details/kingleopoldsdrea00gavr">King Leopold's dream: travels in the shadow of the African elephant</a>. Pantheon Books. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 9780679419983.</li>
<li>Gordimer, Nadine (2010). <a href="https://archive.org/details/tellingtimeswrit00nadi">Telling times : writing and living, 1954-2008</a>. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0393066289.</li>
<li>Meredith, Martin (2004). Elephant Destiny: Biography Of An Endangered Species In Africa. PublicAffairs. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 9781586482336.</li>
<li>Fowler, Murray E.; Mikota, Susan K., eds. (2006). Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants (1 ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0813806763.</li>
<li>Roth, Harald H; Günter Merz (1997). Wildlife resources : a global account of economic use. Berlin; New York: Springer. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 3540613579.</li>
<li>Shoshani, Jeheskel, ed. (September 1992). Elephants: Majestic Creatures of the Wild (1 ed.). Rodale Pr. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0875961436.</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Denis 1963, pp. 88–91. - Denis, Armand (1963). On safari; the story of my life (1 ed.). New York: Dutton. <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Fowler & Mikota 2006, p. 19. - Fowler, Murray E.; Mikota, Susan K., eds. (2006). Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants (1 ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 0813806763. <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">Gavron 1993, p. 272. - Gavron, Jeremy (1993-06-01). King Leopold's dream: travels in the shadow of the African elephant. Pantheon Books. ISBN 9780679419983. <a href="https://archive.org/details/kingleopoldsdrea00gavr" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/kingleopoldsdrea00gavr</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">Meredith 2004, p. 128. - Meredith, Martin (2004). Elephant Destiny: Biography Of An Endangered Species In Africa. PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781586482336. <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Meredith 2004, p. 129. - Meredith, Martin (2004). Elephant Destiny: Biography Of An Endangered Species In Africa. PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781586482336. <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">Fowler & Mikota 2006, p. 19. - Fowler, Murray E.; Mikota, Susan K., eds. (2006). Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants (1 ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 0813806763. <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">Fowler & Mikota 2006, p. 19. - Fowler, Murray E.; Mikota, Susan K., eds. (2006). Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants (1 ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 0813806763. <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Shoshani 1992, pp. 152–154. - Shoshani, Jeheskel, ed. (September 1992). Elephants: Majestic Creatures of the Wild (1 ed.). Rodale Pr. ISBN 0875961436. <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">Shoshani 1992, pp. 152–154. - Shoshani, Jeheskel, ed. (September 1992). Elephants: Majestic Creatures of the Wild (1 ed.). Rodale Pr. ISBN 0875961436. <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">Meredith 2004, p. 128. - Meredith, Martin (2004). Elephant Destiny: Biography Of An Endangered Species In Africa. PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781586482336. <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">Gatti 1932, p. 52. - Gatti, Attilio (March 1932). "Elephant Hunt!". Boys' Life. Vol. 22, no. 3. pp. 13–52. Retrieved 2012-09-27. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Touc6KZnPlYC&q=ten+oxen+elephants+twenty+congo&pg=PA52" target="_blank">https://books.google.com/books?id=Touc6KZnPlYC&q=ten+oxen+elephants+twenty+congo&pg=PA52</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Api Elephant Domestication Center open-in-new

Api Elephant Domestication Center