Miscellaneous
Elephants have been integral to politics and the economy in Africa and Asia. Many elephants are given away on requests of the ministers and politicians of the government, and sometimes as gifts. Elephants traditionally work for the forest service and for the logging business.
In India there has been controversy over elephants attacking mahouts and villagers due to the torture some elephants endure from their mahouts, especially during Kerala festivals. More than 90% of the elephants in Kerala have been illegally obtained.
The Singapore Zoo features a show called "elephants at work and play", where the elephants' caretakers are referred to as "mahouts", and demonstrate how elephants are used as beasts of burden in south-east Asia. The verbal commands given to the elephants by the mahouts are all in Sinhalese, one of the two official languages of Sri Lanka.
- In popular culture
A shop display advertising "Mahout" cigarettes features prominently in the background of the "rain dance" sequence of the famous 1952 Gene Kelly film Singin' in the Rain. The word "mahout" also features in the lyrics of the song "Drop the Pilot", by Joan Armatrading.
Read more about this topic: Mahout