In Burma’s teak forests, elephants do the work machines handle elsewhere. They fell trees and, instead of tractors, haul heavy logs down to the river. An elephant can grasp a log whose circumference is one-and-a-half to twice the circumference of its trunk, roll it onto its tusks, and carry it away.
But even in the sawmills where the wood is processed, you can see elephants at work. Here they might be better described as one-armed machinists. Early in the morning, the sounds of sawmills in Rangoon, Mangalore, or Manaripa call their workers. Without any rush or noise, the elephants hurry in groups to the workshops equipped with the latest machinery.
These one-armed giants work alongside electric saws and planers. And they are not just a few—there are thousands of them. They feed heavy logs into the machines, neatly stack the cut boards into piles, and carefully blow the sawdust away. No diligent worker could do this job better than an elephant.
