Mahout means the elephant driver, keeper, or handler. He usually starts his career very young, at about ten years old. The mahout is usually given an elephant to look after and care for the rest of the elephant’s life. They are a kind of couple, helping each other in the daily life, living, sleeping, and eating together...
What do you learn from this introductory course?
You will learn how to ride an elephant on its neck like a mahout, how to take care of an elephant, how to handle it, how to give it verbal and physical commands.
You will also have the opportunity to live close to them, having bath in the fresh rivers with the big pachyderms.
You can experience a 1 day, a 2 days, 3 days, or even more days this training with professionals in a very preserved environment.
Small dictionary of the Lao Elephant (incomplete :-(
advance: pay
right: doun what
left: doun say
back: touay lan
raises: niok
lifts the foot: niok tin
grows: houau niou
raises the paw: his (so that the mahout uses it as a ladder to climb on his neck)
pushes the trunk of the foot: can
less quickly: sassa
pulls: pay
get down on your knees: moup
take: tiap haou
when two trunks are on top of each other: tom long gniat
bring down the trunk from above and take it: you can haou souane
put your string: doun so
