Mahouts to be trained for NVQ Level 4 certificate

The National Zoological Department has started a course for mahouts to obtain an NVQ Level 4 certificate. 

This course will be held for a period of six months and the elephant handlers who successfully complete it will be awarded NVQ Level 4 certificates, according to the Director General of the Department of Immigration Tilak Premakanta.

When inquired by the Daily News, Premakantha said that women can also apply for this course and educational qualification and age limit are not relevant for this training. He further said that applications will be received through applications by the applicants themselves or through advertisements published in the newspapers, until the end of August.

The course provides both theoretical and practical training in elephant care, ensuring their well-being and elephant and mahout’s safety.

The Director General, who also indicated that it is planned to provide training to those joining the course to train as mahouts, also by experts in the field, emphasised that the aim of this course is to promote gentle treatment of elephants and safe ways of handling them. Steps have been taken to conduct this six-month course at the Pinnawala Zoo and Elephant Orphanage.

The National Zoological Department has taken this step to prevent the recurrence of controversial incidents involving the care of tame elephants in recent days including Muthu Raja, who was temporarily detained at the Dehiwela Zoo.

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