Elephant Paints Self-Portrait (Video)

1. jenny
   March 29th, 2008 at 6:17 am

   sadly, its real...
   im just wondering what they did to train the elephants to do that
   but, i suppose it is amazing what that can do

2. oezicomix
   March 29th, 2008 at 6:32 am

   that elephant draws a better elephant than i could, and i do that for a living! i am seriously amazed about the acuracy of the trace - anybody know how they train them?

3. Tim Giachetti
   March 29th, 2008 at 6:45 am

   Saw this a week back and am still amazed at them. I don't think they did anything other than give them the tools and a few pics like the full video shows. What's so hard to believe about another mammal, with a larger brain, being able to do this?

4. Nora
   March 29th, 2008 at 6:55 am

   I thought it was interesting to see the elephants trunk shake. Like it was really nervous about being accurate enough to get its paint brush to land correctly. Reminds me of how awkward it feels to try and paint with your feet.

   Would be amazing if it suddenly decided to paint a picture of its own design (it was obviously taught that by a trainer. Why an elephant as the subject? because it makes sense to humans that an elephant would want to draw itself).

   I just hope the elephant wasn't mistreated while it "learned" this ability.

5. MrPumpernickel
   March 29th, 2008 at 7:24 am

   It's not fake, it's just a case of persistent animal training. There's no real independent creative thought behind the painting.

6. ted
   March 29th, 2008 at 7:33 am

   Wow.
   You draw elephants for a living?

   This animal is obviously well-trained to do that. He/she was following verbal cues from his handler while drawing the picture. Most elephant paintings are abstract.

7. the nag
   March 29th, 2008 at 8:19 am

   This pachyderm has better fine motor skills than I have. Perhaps I should try painting with my proboscis.

8. jkhkj
   March 29th, 2008 at 8:43 am

   "Most elephant paintings are abstract."

   It seems they have moved onto "naive reflective expressionism"

   (for peanuts of course)

9. rafa benitez
   March 29th, 2008 at 9:53 am

   I imagine the trainer dragging a stick or similar object across the elephant's back in a motion corresponding to the brushstrokes. Holding onto the elephant's trunk and guiding it would also be a possibility, but judging by the camera angles, this doesn't seem to be the case. I don't have sound on my computer; can you actually hear verbal cues?

10. Bucky
    March 29th, 2008 at 10:14 am

    I noticed several other elephants in the background painting at easels too. That makes me think that these animals have been trained for many hours to trace a picture for food rewards. I wonder if the image to be traced is under the paper or if the elephants are drawing from memory. Like a magic show, it fun to watch if you just suspend disbelief.

11. Shervin
    March 29th, 2008 at 10:34 am

    I can't hear any verbal cues but the trainer tracing on the body of the elephant as a signal is a definite possibility.

12. Larry Sheldon
    March 29th, 2008 at 11:18 am

    Win, lose, or draw, it is amazing.

13. KD
    March 29th, 2008 at 12:23 pm

    This is not hard to believe if you've done any reading on elephant intelligence. This is a good start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_intelligence

14. Vantuna
    March 29th, 2008 at 12:42 pm

    If they're able to train elephants to do that, that's enough evidence of elephant intelligence for me.

    The elephant *went back and retraced its lines*. It showed fine motor control. That's more than a lot of humans can do -- think about the verbal and visual cues we use in training human children.

    If it can be trained to be a good copyist, I'm not going to complain that its work is derivative. We can only hope that the elephant gets time off to work in its own oeuvre.

15. MrPumpernickel
    March 29th, 2008 at 6:35 pm

    I don't think anyone is arguing that elephants aren't intelligent, though it's not as it may appear that they have independent creative thought. If you gave them a simple line drawing I doubt they could copy it without considerable training, much less trying to paint a still life.

16. amberae
    March 30th, 2008 at 1:35 am

    as to the first comment... elephants in captivity find painting o be therapeutic. how is that sad that they find something we like as well, enjoyable? a bear wearing a tutu on a tricycle... that's sad.

17. dodgyd55
    March 30th, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    i would like to think that the elephant drew what ever was in its mind but i think its just been taught how to draw this unfortunately

18. Alex
    March 30th, 2008 at 7:26 pm

    It's like watching Picasso paint!

19. Shoena
    March 30th, 2008 at 9:23 pm

    the comments left here are far far more reasonable then the ones at youtube and i had to comment. i have seen some of the elephant training on Discovery Channel. they are really really violent and brutal. i'm not sure what they would have done for these elephants, but for the ones you ride, they beat them and they piece a metal ring through their lip, tie a rope to it and 'encourage' the elephant to kneel down as they beat on its back.

    all i hope is this one was done with patience, food and a little love. and i hope the elephants get satisfaction out of this.

20. b33
    March 31st, 2008 at 2:13 am

    I personally went to that elephant park in Chiang Mai, Thailand this past January and saw this for myself. About six or seven elephants all drew their own paintings. Some drew elaborate plants, flowers, and one even wrote in Thai!! I asked my tour guide if the elephants always draw the same thing and she said that the elephants do change it up from time to time.

    I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes! They even have a gallery of paintings people can purchase. This specific elephant park also got in the Guinness Book of World Records (here is the site that shows the painting and "painters" http://www.gallerymaesa.com/gallery.php). What's cool is that they even have an area where you can watch the elephants get trained to paint. They don't show the trainers beating them (as another post had said). Having had worked in Thailand for the past year I have witnessed some people not treat elephants with the best care, but for the most part, they do treat them well. Elephants are regarded as magnificent animals to the country and are regarded very highly.

    I've ridden elephants many, many times and I've never seen any metals rings or beatings. I'm an avid animal rights supporter, and I've seen worse treatment of elephants from us Americans during training for the circus.

21. Eliza
    March 31st, 2008 at 11:57 am

    Keep in mind, humans need to be taught how to draw more than little stick figures. I've taken months of art classes to capture the human body (and I still don't think I've made much progress). So what if the elephant was trained to draw that?

22. JamesM
    April 1st, 2008 at 3:15 am

    "The elephant *went back and retraced its lines*. It showed fine motor control. That’s more than a lot of humans can do — think about the verbal and visual cues we use in training human children."

    Not only that, but the elephant demonstrated COLOR BLENDING. That's the part that stunned me.

23. Ivy
    April 3rd, 2008 at 2:16 am

    Amazing, indeed. I wonder why this hasn't made bigger news?

    I just hope and pray that these elephants are treated well, as should all humans and animals. Though there are some who mistreat the animals, for the most part, elephants have been treated with much respect and care in many parts of Thailand, as they are a highly precious creature to the Thai people.

24. Elephriend
    April 4th, 2008 at 7:26 pm

    Whether in a circus or painting pen, they are still captive and put to work. Those of you that paint do so by choice, these animals have no choice. It's all about profit through ignorance. Even the annoying woman in the background 'wow'ing says 'I wonder how much they are?' I ain't no hippie, but elephants are for the jungle. Fences should only keep them out, not in.

25. JJA
    April 4th, 2008 at 7:57 pm

    There are more videos of this and other elephants drawing. It is not a trick. It is elephants on their own. I do wonder how were they trained to do this.

26. Eddie
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:25 pm

    I'm sorry but this video is kinda fake... im not saying it's completely fake, but you can see the person behind the elephant pushing and moving its head, the elephant was just taught to stay still while this happens.... I've seen this before, and quite honestly, I find it kinda sad that people make animals as inteligent as these do stuff for the pleasure of humans....

27. Scott Rosenberg
    July 28th, 2008 at 7:05 am

    YES, elephants DO paint! We have spent time with them while they paint (many elephants not just one).

    You can read all about it here:

    http://knol.google.com/k/scott-rosenberg/painting-giants/17cqnbrru9peb  /2#

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