Musth is characterised by a suite of physiological and behavioural changes, serving to facilitate copulation between the sexes, and via multisensory modalities musth conveys honest information about the condition of a male. Female elephants mate preferentially with musth males, increasing their own fitness in the absence of direct benefits. In addition, musth resolves dynamic dominance hierarchies among male elephants and often eliminates the need for costly physical combat.
Musth (Jtdu/Hindustani):([also: mada, madha, mast, mudda, must ; see also: sexually-active /inactive jainudeen, et al.1972; Poole & Moss 1981; Hall-Martin 1987; Poole 1987; Poole 1989a) From the ancient Sanskrit word (mada ) which means "intoxication, excitement, rapture". Period of heightened sexual activity in mature males (average onset 29 years-old), characterized by urine-dribbling, G.P., strong odor, increased aggression, swollen temporal glands, T.G.S., and elevated testosterone-levels. Sometimes called a form of "sexual insanity" (Williams 1989:125). Musth has also been used to refer to the dark, strong-smelling, oily substance exuded from a male Asian elephant tempora! gland, although this term is not used for African elephants where both sexes secrete from the temporal glands. The term is mudda or madha in Sri Lanka; mon-Igrathi, mon-kyatti, mone, or mong-gyin in Burma.
he can work with all mahouts, but at musth time he is very bad, he is in musth Feb. and March for five to six months, at that time no one goes near him with the exception of the head mahout, the first couple months of his musth he is taken for a bath, after that he stays in the barn. Last year he was a lot of trouble, he tried to destroy the shed for the first 2-3 months and then on all 4 legs, if he is turning very bad, the musth oil is washed off, when he comes out of musth the musth glands on the head are cleaned out and oil put in, the oil comes from cow's milk, called "ghee", then he will come into musth for 1-2 months, he didn't come into musth before, because he wasn't fit. when he was 22 he came into musth for 4 days to a week, but didn't come in the following year
In the last years Maxis musth time is in the winter. It starts in December or January and ends June or July, and his musth takes nearly a half year. We notice, when we clean his stable floor with water, that about 2 month before the musth really begins, the floor foams. In this time he is very horny, he try it by all cows.
(Myanmar) Bulls in musth are not allowed to be put in the work force and are given rest at secluded areas. However, durinq the pre-musth period, then most of the mating takes place, captive bulls can roam free during the night
