Ankus

Definition of Ankus

From the elephant glossary Section: training tools

An old classical Angkus from India

Some of the collection given to an ambassador of the Czech Republic, from the Rathore dynasty in Rajasthan. Caption and Photo: Paul Keil, Postdoctoral Scholar på Czech Academy of Sciences

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The Indian Ankus or Angkus is a rather short metal hook, which mahouts may use when an elephant is disobedient. It is compared to the mother's Tusks, which she also uses for the same reason with her children, or in battle with other elephants.

In Kerala and Karnataka, the Mahouts use a longer hook called Tortie, together with a wooden stick.

In the State of Tamil Nadu in south India, the use of metal hooks was prohibited in the seventies, on recommendation by Forest Dept. veterinarian and a famous elephant expert Dr. Vaidyanathan Krishnamurthy who was a veterinarian in Theppakadu elephant camp in Mudumalai.

In Sri Lanka, the elephant trainers use a Hendoo or Hendoowa, which is longer than the man himself.

Romans used to refer to an elephant hook as a cuspis.

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Records about Ankus from the Gajah Glossary at https://www.asesg.org/PDFfiles/Gajah/23-01-Glossary.pdf Ankus ; (also: angusam, ankusa, ankush, angkus, choon, crook, gajbag, goad, Guide, haunkus, hawkus, hendoo, hendu, henduwa, thony, bull-hook, hook, driving-spike)
(Fennent 1 867 :1, 55,7 5 6; Carrington 1 9 58:17 4 ; Chadvdick 7992:18, 297 -298; Jayewardene 1994:51 -52,721 ; Cannon & Davis 1995:110,773 fthotol,172; Lak 7997:272; Lahiri-Choudhury 1999:455) Short stick with a sharp, curved, finger-length metal hook at the tip, used to control and direct captive elephants. A hooked goad for driving elephants. Euphemistically, sometimes, called
"guide".

M. Philip Kahl and Charles Santiapillai, Gajah Elephant Glossary, Gajah nr 23 (2004), Journal for Asian Elephant Specialist Group

Reference list Koehl, Dan, (2024). Ankus. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 20 September 2021 at https://www.elephant.se/index.php?id=16. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:

Records about Ankus from the Gajah Glossary, https://www.asesg.org/PDFfiles/Gajah/23-01-Glossary.pdf

Selected publications

Links about Ankus

Selected external links for this article about Ankus:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_goad

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Categories glossary | training tools

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