Care of MiniPhants

[Timerover51]

The following comes from Sir Samuel Baker's book, Wild Beasts and Their Ways, Vol. 1, which can be found on both Project Gutenberg (unfortunately without pictures), and also archive.org.

The proper method of feeding an elephant with plantains where an allowance of rice is added, is by splitting the entire stem through the centre, and then cutting it into transverse sections about two feet in length. As each layer is detached, it resembles a delicately coloured trough, nearly white ; this is doubled up in the centre and it at once forms a hollow tube, similar to a very thick drain tile. A handful of rice is placed within, and it is secured by tying with a fibrous strip from the plantain stem. A large pile of these neat packages is prepared for every elephant, and, when ready, the mahout sits by the heap and hands the parcels one by one to the ever-expectant trunk.

This might be of interest to anyone who is using Miniphants in his or her campaign. The volumes by Sir Samuel Baker have vast amounts of relevance to a Traveller Game Master. Also for Space: 1889 (they were written during that period), and also Dungeon and Dragons.

 

[selunatic2397]

That's pretty neat, I'll use it in my sword worlds group. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Timerover51]

That's pretty neat, I'll use it in my sword worlds group. Thanks for sharing!

What Swords World book are you using? I have the Mongoose book and could go through it to see if I can come up with more goodies. There is more on elephant behavior in Baker's book. Some of it quite interesting.

 

[selunatic2397]

I use the gurps version, first one I bought and my players seem to prefer it.

Adventurous academics from the Gungnir Graf Heinrik II University...Personally I think they just like the Gungnir Iambic Reds in the write up.

 

[Timerover51]

The following information on the care and feeding of elephants is taken from Sir Garnet Wolseley's A Soldier's Pocket Book for Field Service, the 1886 edition. It is possible to download a copy from the Internet, and it is an extremely valuable source of information.

Elephants in India are given from 15 to 30 lbs. of wheat flour, according to the size of the animal and the work that he is doing. Mixed with it is 1 lb. of coarse sugar or molasses. This is given to him in large thick cakes, in addition to about 400 lbs. of green food, such as sugar cane, branches of the peepul and other trees, green corn, &c.; or, if green food in not to be had, to about 240 or 350 lbs. of rice or other straw. Tree-food is heating. and, an if possible, should only be given in the rains, when plantain leaves are given they should be cut into lengths of about 12 “. On active service the ration is often reduced to 25 lbs. of flour, 2 oz. of salt, 100 pounds of green food, or 175 lbs. of hay. In Bengal it is found that a full-sized animal will eat 750 pounds of sugar cane, which is more nourishing than 800 lbs. of any other green fodder. As much as an elephant can bring in on his back may be considered as his daily ration of green fodder. Unless supplied with plenty of green food, they soon fall off in condition; their food should be clean and wholesome; they require from 25 to 30 galls. (Note: That would be Imperial gallons, equal to 1.2 US gallons.) of water daily. In India 15 lbs. of firewood is allowed daily to cook the cakes for each animal. On board ship the rations is Atta (flour) or rice, 18 to 20 lbs., 170 lbs, dry, or 320 lbs, green fodder, 2.5 oz. salt, and 40 to 50 galls. (Again, Imperial gallons of 1.2 US gallons) water. The elephant equipment consists of a gaddees, guddala, peyta, suletah bags, buntha ropes, and ropes for loading, weighing in all about 314 lbs.

I suspect that the elephant eating the 750 pounds of sugar cane a day was one very happy elephant. For miniphants, because of the elephant's very rapid pass-through of food, you might want to scale them in at the proportion of the weight of the miniphant to an about 6,000 lbs, individual elephant. Wolseley reports the average weight of elephants being used in India during his time at between 5,600 and 6,600 pounds in weight. Also, remember that the British Army routinely used elephants as pack and transport animals in India, all the way up to and including World War 2. The above ration was found to work in reality,

 

[Timerover51]

The following comments by Sir Samuel Baker, from his book, Wild Beasts and Their Ways, gives some very good reasons for the development of the miniphant.

When we consider the peculiar power that an elephant possesses for swimming long distances, and for supporting long marches under an enormous weight, we are tempted to condemn the apathy even of European settlers in Africa, who have hitherto ignored the capabilities of this useful creature. The chief difficulty of African commerce is the lack of transport. The elephant is admirably adapted by his natural habits for travelling through a wild country devoid of roads. He can wade through unbridged streams, or swim the deepest rivers (without a load), and he is equally at home either on land or water. His carrying power for continued service would be from 12 to 14 cwts. ; thus a single elephant would convey about 1300 lbs. of ivory in addition to the weight of the pad. The value of one load would be about £500. At the present moment such an amount of ivory would employ twenty-six carriers ; but as these are generally slaves who can be sold at the termination of the journey, they might be more profitable than the legitimate transport by an elephant.

Sir Samuel was an ardent anti-slavery individual.