Api Elephant Domestication Center

The Api Elephant Domestication Center was a project of the Belgian Congo to tame African elephants. It was a continuation of the domestication project at Kira Vunga, which was the first attempt to harness this species for human work.[1]

Api Elephant Domestication Center
Map showing the location of Api Elephant Domestication Center
Map showing the location of Api Elephant Domestication Center
Locationnortheastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Nearest cityDungu
Coordinates3.70569°N 25.39592°E / 3.70569; 25.39592
Established1925

History

The project to tame elephants was initiated by decree of King Leopold. 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.[2] The first World War put the operation on hold, and Laplume was captured by German forces, returning to Congo in 1918.[3] The work was transferred to Api in 1925.[4]

After initially failing to capture any animals, as many as ten elephants were successfully captured and living in captivity by 1910.[5][2]

Taming operations were partly shifted to Gangala-na-Bodio in 1930[2][6] and the camp at Api closed in 1932.

In 1987 elephant training was restarted again at Api.[6]

Domestication purpose

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.[4] Elephants promised to provide not only tsetse-resistant draft animals, they were also estimated to be ten to twenty times as strong as oxen.[7]

Notes
  1. Denis 1963, pp. 88–91.
  2. Fowler & Mikota 2006, p. 19.
  3. Gavron 1993, p. 272.
  4. Meredith 2004, p. 128.
  5. Meredith 2004, p. 129.
  6. Shoshani 1992, pp. 152–154.
  7. Gatti 1932, p. 52.

References
  • Denis, Armand (1963). On safari; the story of my life (1 ed.). New York: Dutton.
  • Fraser, Ronald (1954-08-08). "Savage Giants Of Jungle Taught To Do Work Of Man". Toledo Blade. Brussels, Belgium. p. 3.
  • Gatti, Attilio (March 1932). "Elephant Hunt!". Boys' Life. Vol. 22, no. 3. pp. 13–52. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  • Gavron, Jeremy (1993-06-01). King Leopold's dream: travels in the shadow of the African elephant. Pantheon Books. ISBN 9780679419983.
  • Gordimer, Nadine (2010). Telling times : writing and living, 1954-2008. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 978-0393066289.
  • Meredith, Martin (2004). Elephant Destiny: Biography Of An Endangered Species In Africa. PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781586482336.
  • Fowler, Murray E.; Mikota, Susan K., eds. (2006). Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants (1 ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 0813806763.
  • Roth, Harald H; Günter Merz (1997). Wildlife resources : a global account of economic use. Berlin; New York: Springer. ISBN 3540613579.
  • Shoshani, Jeheskel, ed. (September 1992). Elephants: Majestic Creatures of the Wild (1 ed.). Rodale Pr. ISBN 0875961436.


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