Elephant Self-Portrait

Have you ever seen an elephant paint a portrait of itself?

In a world of people always on the search for something new, elephant self-portrait painting is emerging as a novel idea that can be implemented in various zoos. Those who understand elephants and the versatility of their trunks might simply say: "Yeah, elephants can do that. What's all the fuss?"

Well, painting a picture or making random brush marks is one thing, but making a self-portrait is something else.

Source: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_LHoyB81LnE

I wonder what made the elephant decide to make this drawing in particular. If you give art supplies to just any other pachyderm, will it produce something like this?

I'm particularly amazed when it even retraced part of the front leg, as if it wanted to emphasize the outline of the drawing. I guess there are many things about the animal kingdom that are waiting to be discovered, and elephant art is just one of them.

[ First posted on 04/04/2008 by Manuel Viloria ]