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Embossed cover from the original 1895 MacMillan edition of The Second Jungle Book, based on sketches by Kipling's father. It features the white cobra twirled around the ankus.

The ankus (sometimes called bullhook, elephant hook, or elephant goad) is a tool used in the training of elephants. It consists of a sharp, pointed hook (usually bronze or steel)which is attached to a two- or three-foot handle.

The handle can be made of any material, from wood to ivory, depending on the wealth and opulence of the owner. Contemporary bullhooks which are used for animal training generally have handles made of fiberglass, metal, plastic, or wood.

Bullhooks are commonly used by animal trainers in circuses and other establishments which use dominance animal training techniques. The bullhook is used as follows. The animal trainer or handler holds on to the bullhook by the handle. The sharp hook is used to apply pressure to the elephant's skin and sensitive body parts. This pressure may consist of gentle jabbing; repeated and forceful puncturing; slight or full insertion; and insertion combined with twisting. Once an elephant has been trained with a bullhook, the sight of it is sufficient to evoke the response desired by the trainer. It is a particularly effective tool given elephants' very sensitive skin.

Bullhooks are found in armories and temples across all across India, where elephants march in religious processions and perform in various civil capacities. They are often quite ornate, being decorated with gemstones and engravings to be appropriate for the ceremonies in which they are used.

In Rudyard Kipling's Second Jungle Book story "The King's Ankus", Mowgli finds the magnificently-jewelled ankus of the title in a hidden treasure chamber. Not realising the value men place on jewels, he later casually discards it in the jungle, unwittingly leading to a chain of greed and murder amongst those who find it after him.

There is an image of an ornamented ankus at this link.

An ankus is one of the eight auspicious objects (known as Astamangala) of Hinduism and certain other religions of the Indian subcontinent. A goad is also an attribute of many Hindu gods, including Ganesha.

• Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola

• Ankus (National Gallery of Australia)
• Ankus (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

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