Phajaan
Phajaan is a practice used in some parts of Asia to break the spirit of wild elephants in order to tame them for human use. This method involves separating a young elephant calf from its mother and subjecting it to intense physical and mental abuse until it submits to human control.
The term "phajaan" is derived from the Thai language and translates to “crush". The process involves chaining the elephant to a small enclosure called a "crush box," where it is beaten, starved, and deprived of sleep. The calf is repeatedly jabbed with sharp objects, such as bullhooks, and subjected to loud noises and bright lights to create a state of confusion and terror.
The goal of this process is to break the elephant's spirit and make it submissive to human commands. This can take weeks or even months until the calf becomes so traumatised that it loses all will to resist.