Guardians of the gentle giants: Mahouts from indigenous communities and their bond with elephants

The article highlights the crucial role of indigenous communities, particularly mahouts and cavadies from tribes like Kaatunaickers, Kurumbas, Malasars, and Irulas, in elephant care and conservation in Tamil Nadu's oldest elephant camps (Theppakadu in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Kozhikamuthi in Anamalai Tiger Reserve). It emphasizes their generational traditional knowledge, deep bond with elephants, and unique training methods, some without conventional tools like 'ankush'. The piece also discusses the ongoing challenge of human-elephant conflict, the efforts of Project Elephant by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the use of technology (like AI-enabled systems) for mitigation. However, it cautions that technology alone is insufficient and must be combined with on-field study, understanding the elephant's perspective, and involving all stakeholders for effective conflict resolution.