The Dutch East India Company and Elephants in Ceylon: Trade, Gift and Natural History during the Eighteenth Century

Paper Abstract: The Island of Ceylon has been renowned for its elephants. The Dutch East India Company (hereafter VOC) gradually extended its colonial influence on Ceylon since the mid-seventeenth century after the victory against the Portuguese. Elephants were not only commercial products but also diplomatic gifts. They were shipped through the intra-Asian oceanic trading network, and occasionally transported to Europe. The VOC tributed Ceylonese elephants to the Mughals and other Indian kings. Particularly, Thanjavur Nayaks received elephants from the VOC on a regular basis. For these purposes elephants were obtained from local monarchies on Ceylon such as the Kingdom of Candy. In addition, the VOC also conducted the elephant catching according to Francois Valentyn (1666-1727). Elephant were mainly caught thorough the method called coraal, which employed funnel-shaped enclosures.
          Dutch involvement in elephant-catching and elephant trade encouraged the VOC to collect practical local knowledges of elephants. Johann Christoph Wolf (1730-1785) arrived on Ceylon when he was nineteen years old and served for twenty years as VOC officer. In his book on Ceylon published in 1782, he described how elephants were sold at animal fairs and gathered anecdotes of elephants. Around 1780, a report on the mode of life of Ceylonese elephants was compiled by the order of J. G. van Angelbeek (1727-1799), the Dutch governor of Malabar. These records stimulated the discussion on natural history of elephants, and contributed to the development of zoological studies in western Europe.