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See the original image at telegraph.co.uk

Painting of an elephant. By an elephant

telegraph.co.uk — Dead serious. This picture is incredible.

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  • backin5minutes, on 07/04/2008, -5/+386This is the most amazing thing i've ever seen.

    That elephant can almost draw an elephant better then me.

    and it's an elephant.
    • CrazyChair, on 07/21/2008, -42/+36Elephants are awesome! Tall as a mad ***** and grey as *****. I wanna pat that *****.
      • Slade605, on 07/05/2008, -0/+43Now, I have heard everything.
      • mickstephenson, on 07/05/2008, -6/+7I think elephants is a pretty cool guy. eh piant the elephants and doesnt afraid of anything.
      • Misogyny, on 07/05/2008, -0/+9It's unfortunate that you're getting buried. That's actually quite poetic in a Jack Kerouac sort of way.
      • wadester2489, on 07/07/2008, -0/+0lolwat?
    • Hollow5, on 07/05/2008, -47/+1gay & fake
      • dondara, on 07/05/2008, -0/+43This isn't about you.
      • haydesigner, on 07/05/2008, -0/+29Did your pastor tell you to come on here and confess your sins?
    • zzz@tkz, on 07/05/2008, -14/+70I, for one, welcome our new elephant painting elephant overlords.
      • dOOBiEx213, on 07/05/2008, -7/+2I, for one, think that's kind of old now, plus I'm not really sure why you replied to his comment with that... oh wait, I guess it's because you came in too late, and you were afraid no one would read your comment, so you went ahead and hit reply on the first comment to get the most exposure to maximize your diggs. Carry on.
      • uhhNo, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4That's how digg works.
    • moomeep, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1322min documentary, part of the "extraordinary animals" series by channel 5:
      http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-941149771 ...
      • j0etb, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2Thanks for the vid. Google seems to be returning several hits for 'Noppakhao' but mainly pictures. Thankfully that video actually explores the slightly more intriguing prospect of animal self awareness

        I'll be awaiting an elephant-art article in NewScientist
    • t0x2c, on 07/05/2008, -0/+17His next drawing will be a boa constrictor eating an elephant.
    • CarStan, on 07/05/2008, -1/+5Reminds me of this http://www.pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF194-Bip.jpg
    • Rizmaster, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3Home field advantage?
    • jdunlop2179, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1almost?
    • paloooz, on 07/05/2008, -7/+2He can probably speak English better THAN you as well.
      • Asheis, on 07/05/2008, -1/+2he might have been saying... "That elephant can almost draw an elephant better! Then me!"
    • sanman, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5I doodle, therefore I am.

      Sketchito Ergo Sum.
    • AvronC, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1I logged in just to ***** digg you up.
    • MadOgre, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Damn you LARRY NIVEN! - FOOTFALL is from THE FUTURE!
    • foxmajik, on 07/06/2008, -1/+1Balls. Huhuh.
  • Michiko280, on 07/04/2008, -9/+177THIS IS RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME!
    • BoneStamp, on 07/05/2008, -0/+7It's stereotyping in the painting that blows me away. I mean, common elephant... you should know that not all elephants are circus elephants.
    • badjoke, on 07/05/2008, -2/+9Unfortunately, they're painting out of memory and not out of creativity and self-awareness.

      http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/elephantpaint ...

      Still pretty impressive, though.
    • crazycraka, on 07/05/2008, -6/+0wtf, how is that impressive? I can ***** paint better then that.. Its like that elephants retarded..
      • Zincyams, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4It's a ***** elephant.

        Congratulations, you can paint better than an animal with no opposable thumbs and way less brain capacity. *golf clap*
      • Kent767, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1I wouldn't bet on the second half....
  • djturtlep, on 07/04/2008, -5/+48Thats amazing!
  • idc5, on 07/04/2008, -7/+128draws better than me..
    • solidus636, on 07/05/2008, -4/+13Dugg for honesty.
    • schweinehundXX, on 07/05/2008, -0/+57that is just the beginning. wait until he gets photoshop.
    • disoriented, on 07/05/2008, -1/+5dugg for being autistic.
    • romygrr8, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1better than picaso , buddy
    • acefactor, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Also, according to snopes, that elephant is 8 years old. I definitely couldn't draw like that when I was 8.
    • JonesJohnson, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3Draws better than *I*, or rather ... Draws better than I do.

      Doesn't matter though. It's almost 8PM and I'm home on a Saturday night. THAT matters =/
    • dalnet22, on 07/05/2008, -2/+1I wonder if he has better grammar than you, too.
    • Balk2K, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Are you an elephant too, though? That would affect the gravity of your comment
  • xirtap, on 07/04/2008, -3/+100Wow, that IS amazing. Not just what it paints, but the use of the colors.
    • ZannaDiosa, on 07/05/2008, -0/+6Hmmmm. Elephants are color blind.

      From "Genetics:"

      Elephants and Human Color-Blind Deuteranopes Have Identical Sets of Visual Pigments.

      Being the largest land mammals, elephants have very few natural enemies and are active during both day and night. Compared with those of diurnal and nocturnal animals, the eyes of elephants and other arrhythmic species, such as many ungulates and large carnivores, must function in both the bright light of day and dim light of night. Despite their fundamental importance, the roles of photosensitive molecules, visual pigments, in arrhythmic vision are not well understood. Here we report that elephants (Loxodonta africana and Elephas maximus) use RH1, SWS1, and LWS pigments, which are maximally sensitive to 496, 419, and 552 nm, respectively. These light sensitivities are virtually identical to those of certain "color-blind" people who lack MWS pigments, which are maximally sensitive to 530 nm. During the day, therefore, elephants seem to have the dichromatic color vision of deuteranopes. During the night, however, they are likely to use RH1 and SWS1 pigments and detect light at 420–490 nm.
  • bmson, on 07/04/2008, -9/+64I can't believe this is real :/
    Elephant drawing a 2D image.
    • diadem2, on 07/05/2008, -4/+51I too would like to see further proof aside from the aforementioned image. I want to believe that this is real, but I must confess that past experience on the interweb has made me cynical and jaded.
      • Linzee82, on 07/05/2008, -0/+9http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He7Ge7Sogrk

        I know it's just a youtube video but at least you can watch the elephant paint. Although the color choices are made by the trainer, the elephant is the one doing the actual painting. Got a couple extra clips afterwards too.
    • svensksvamp, on 07/05/2008, -1/+97yeah, cause elephants drawing in 3D is way to common.
    • baconz, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3But it was a picture. On the internet. Why do you doubt? Just belieeeeeeeeve.
    • Gforce20, on 07/05/2008, -0/+13http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/elephantpaint ...
      It's true.
  • Lith25, on 07/04/2008, -17/+87Show me a video, until then I can't believe this.
    • retzed, on 07/05/2008, -0/+134An equally, if not more, impressive painting of an elephant by an elephant
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He7Ge7Sogrk
      • fas2, on 07/05/2008, -0/+14I still can't believe this :S It's too damn awesome.
      • diadem2, on 07/05/2008, -11/+3After seeing how the high five video is made - by merging two videos, seeing a closeup of just the trunk painting isn't enough to remove my skepticism.
      • NightRiderkami, on 07/05/2008, -5/+3I think its a man with a trunk costume on his arm.
      • Stormwern, on 07/05/2008, -0/+10Near the end you can see his head while he's painting, if it's fake they have one hell of a special effects budget.
      • chrillen, on 07/05/2008, -46/+1I've never understood why we give animals so much credit, congratulations, it drew something. Great, I could do that (and probably you too) when I was only a few years old. Sure, animals are stupid, but it's not exactly something to cheer about.
      • darkane, on 07/05/2008, -1/+24@chrillen I think you just proved that this elephant is smarter than some people. Like yourself, for example.

      • chrillen, on 07/05/2008, -30/+1@darkane

        Dude, I know you're trying to be witty. But that elephant can neither read a map nor drive a car. It can't write or do anything that's actually worthwile. Why are you being so impressed when you see it draw something out of memory?
      • dawii, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2omg thats trippy
      • faraggi, on 07/05/2008, -0/+19@chrillen

        man, you don´t get it do you? This animal is able to process a three dimensional object seen in the real world, and express it in a 2d form on a piece of paper. These kink of abstractions are the great steps we as humans needed to make to evolve from monkeys to what we are now.

        Your brain processes signs, signs that mean something. This elephant associated a fellow elephant with a 2d drawing. I´m no expert, but I´m guessing this must be something like a first step in advanced communication.
      • thesonofdarwin, on 07/05/2008, -0/+12Chrillen, thinking about the world only as it pertains to humans, one comment at a time.

        It must be confining in that brain of yours.
      • Luminoth, on 07/05/2008, -1/+4@faraggi

        That's not entirely true. The elephant was trained to do the painting, so it's not really doing anything abstract. It's just going through the motions in the same way it goes through the motions for any other trick it's been taught.

        That said, still very impressive.
      • aoneal417, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4@Chrillen

        you're just mad cause you don't have any hair, and once everyone became super saiyans you were stuck being a suck-ass human, so stop takin' it out on those elephants, cause they're badass
    • wastelander, on 07/05/2008, -0/+34Apparently its real:
      http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/elephantpaint ...

      From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinbu ...
      "Elephant expert Dr Joyce Poole, who has studied the animals for 30 years, said she owned an elephant painting but had not come across animals painting their own images.
      The Oslo-based scientist said: "I have seen elephants painting, but it was very free-flow.
      it's certainly capable of drawing an elephant, and could be trained, but might not really understand what it was doing."

      So the animal is reproducing an image it has been trained to copy and may not know what that image is supposed to represent.
      Still an amazing demonstration of the animal's intelligence and dexterity.
    • Phyraxus, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2http://www.elephantart.com/catalog/homepage.php
    • sovereign3, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1It should be noted that elephants are among the few creatures on this planet (aside from humans) that are capable of recognizing itself via reflection. Perhaps the elephant was making a self-portrait?
  • megadan76, on 07/04/2008, -1/+80Wow... what... where is the story surrounding this? I assume this elephant has been raised in human care by scientists and taught to paint... and isn't just, you know, some random jungle elephant Picasso.
    • beware001, on 07/05/2008, -2/+12oh wait you mean the elephants didnt take these pics either?? and the elephants didnt submit it to digg either? we know they didnt just find an elephant painting itself, and its still incredible.
    • zombies187, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2These people sell elephant paintings to keep this elephant reserve going. Its quite cool really. I could see myself teaching elephants to paint...
      • bg2500, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4And it would be an interesting conversation starter.

        Guest: That is an interesting picture.
        Me: It was painted by an elephant.
        Guest: 0_o
    • annalyzationn, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3Yes, that is true. But even so, even if this is an elephant in a facility, isn't it still amazing how much it has learned?
  • xParker, on 09/12/2008, -1/+50Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He7Ge7Sogrk
    • AUniquePerson, on 07/05/2008, -2/+34From the Youtube comments: "Sorry people but this is fake.
      The elephant has been trained to trace a picture and learn the pattern.
      To the elephant the image has no meaning at all."

      Darn! You ruined my enjoyment of believing that elephants were self-aware!
      • fas2, on 07/05/2008, -1/+8You ruined my life!
      • Slade605, on 07/05/2008, -1/+10What life?!
      • beware001, on 07/05/2008, -1/+2we all knew that anyways, but it still has tons of meaning
      • skidzilla, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1They are self aware. Experiments have been done with mirrors that prove it.
        Watch the documentary someone above me posted. :)

        It may just mean that they are somehow unable to re-conceptualize what they see of themselves.

        A true self-portrait would effectively establish elephants as fellow sapient beings, raising huge ethical questions.
    • soopafly, on 07/05/2008, -1/+4Yeah folks... sorry to disappoint you, but this is fake. It's just a guy in an elephant suit. :-D
    • bman85, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1You can put me down as amazed...
  • Ferre1, on 07/04/2008, -1/+13More video;
    http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/amazing-el ...
  • purfideas, on 07/04/2008, -9/+3Oh ... so that's what they mean by 'derivative work'. ;)
  • neuens07, on 07/04/2008, -12/+2What... the... *****...
  • michaelwong38, on 07/04/2008, -16/+1But can they get a tree to draw another tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear it falling...that's right, i didn't think so!!! j/k, pretty friggin amazing
  • staffell, on 07/05/2008, -6/+5http://digg.com/pets_animals/Elephants_are_far_mor ...
    • Slade605, on 07/05/2008, -5/+4Nobody diggs a typo man.
      • franklymister, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2What typo?
      • Dracker, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1"realise"
      • ConceptJunkie, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2That's the standard English spelling, in English English (as opposed to American English) many of the words we spell with 'z' they spell with 's'.

        I mean, I hate typos and bad spelling as much as the next guy, but a little literacy goes a long way.

      • DephexTwin, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Besides the fact that it *isn't* a typo... since when did people here NOT digg something with a typo in it? Having a typo is almost a requirement for being dugg.
      • staffell, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3At least noone's moaning at the fact it's my own article...
  • uwiniwin, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3Unbelievable... maybe the mahout on the animal's right side guided the trunk for the picture?
    • banmaster, on 07/05/2008, -1/+6There is no 'maybe'. I wish people wouldn't let their longing to see an elephant paint get in the way of looking at things properly. Of course the elephant is guided in its painting, the ONLY unguided paintings they have ever drawn are too abstract to make anything out of.
  • Cludgo, on 07/05/2008, -14/+83i for one welcome our new elephant over lords
    • BowieX, on 07/05/2008, -0/+10You just had to didn't you.

      tusk tusk tusk....
    • bman85, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3...This was in the youtube comments for the video too...
    • biggerapple3am, on 07/05/2008, -0/+0Cos this wasn't like the 2nd comment on the article apparently?
      • BowieX, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Guess who was first? Ass.
      • biggerapple3am, on 07/06/2008, -0/+0That doesn't help your case you ***** piece of *****, kill yourself
    • allengeer, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5(a la budwieser commercial) Heres to you Mr. I FOR ONE WELCOME OVERLORDS COMMENT MAKER!
  • TimeIsTissue, on 07/05/2008, -2/+7i'm feeling dizzy....
  • garfonzo, on 07/05/2008, -8/+17so it's self aware... interesting
    • raquel9e, on 07/05/2008, -4/+10The elephant has been trained to paint a picture. That doesn't prove self-awareness.
      • azAZ09, on 07/05/2008, -3/+7Watch the video linked by moomeep. Some behaviorists perform experiments with mirrors that they suggest strongly imply the elephants are self-aware.
      • raquel9e, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4I'm didn't say elephants aren't self-aware. I said that being trained to paint a picture doesn't prove that elephants are self-aware.
    • solid12345, on 07/05/2008, -0/+6It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug
  • rentmitchum, on 07/05/2008, -5/+42Elephants are one of the only other mammals that pass the mirror test (the one where you see if they recognize themself, therefore denoting intelligence, from our perspective anyway) other than all the great apes, magpies, dolphins and a few others I forget right now.

    So yea, they're quite intelligent. (in our terms, intelligence from our perspective, as predominantly visual animals)
    • banmaster, on 07/05/2008, -7/+1Termites. Termites pass the mirror test too.
      • rentmitchum, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Did not know that. I forget where I read about the mirror test.. either online or a book. I only mentioned the species I can remember right now, I know there were quite a few others.
      • mrjofo, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1If an elephant sees a mirror and says "man I need to hit the gym", that's a pass. Otherwise I'm not sure how you know if they pass or fail.
      • mickstephenson, on 07/05/2008, -0/+9You put a spot on their head and if they go to touch the spot on their head to remove it they pass
      • Goblin, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1How do we know all the other, non-self aware animals don't just think a spot on their head is snazzy?

        Besides, how is a sheep supposed to reach its own head?
    • AriaStar, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3Heh, I've got a golden retriever puppies who, whenever they see their reflections in the sliding glass door going to the balcony, bark at "the other dog!" It's cute.

      http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj13/theyear200 ...
      • dandylion13, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2Cats pass the mirror test by an occaisonal glance and otherwise completely ignoring their reflection.
      • EmperorAwesome, on 07/05/2008, -0/+6So cats treat mirrors like everything else?
      • ohnoihavenoname, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3And one day, your puppy yawned. Twice!
    • InsaneOni, on 07/05/2008, -4/+4Wrong. Bottlenose dolphins, great apes, killer whales, and magpies also pass the mirror test (I know, magpies aren't mammals).

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_test
      • Hananda, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4I invite you to read rentmitcurn's post again. I think you'll find that he mentioned everything but the killer whales.
      • eigenweasel, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Not just magpies, but pretty much the whole of the Corvidae. At least Jays and Crows as well as Magpies, maybe jackdaws and rooks too.
      • rentmitchum, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1Wrong! Bottlenose dolphins, great apes, killer whales, octopi, rhesus monkeys, pidgeons, rats (according to one article) and magpies also pass the mirror test. (I know, magpies aren't mammals, I just learned everything I know on wikipedia)

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/*****
    • Paulish, on 07/05/2008, -2/+1When humans are born, and when really young, we don't pass the mirror test. What does that say?
      • samby, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2That the brain is still developing. It does so for many years.
    • kerowack, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Only one elephant has ever recognized itself. I hardly think it's fair to say that elephants on the whole have passed the mirror test.
  • blanketfury, on 07/05/2008, -7/+0Painting is overrated
  • chaos7, on 07/05/2008, -8/+1misleading
  • LuckyBucky, on 07/05/2008, -10/+0looks fake... and monkeys can talk... right?
  • blaze03, on 07/05/2008, -10/+6http://digg.com/pets_animals/An_elephant_painting_ ...
  • AchaIemoipas, on 07/05/2008, -3/+169Can we stop killing them now?

    • xram12, on 07/05/2008, -19/+5why? we kill humans to, and we paint a hell of a lot better
      • dondara, on 07/05/2008, -3/+25Most humans had it coming
      • banmaster, on 07/05/2008, -12/+2Besides, elephants taste good. So do dolphins and we've all probably eaten them (without realizing it mostly).
      • BeyondDGrave, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1But can we spell better...?
      • Nollykin, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1Dugg for hilarity. Digg users have no sense for it.
    • dher405, on 07/05/2008, -4/+20Lets not use the term "we" when you make that statement. You haven't killed one... I haven't killed one... I am pretty sure we don't support killing one.
      • AchaIemoipas, on 07/05/2008, -5/+29Oh look, 1/6,050,000,000 of humanity trying to distinguish himself from the hive.
      • slimZX, on 07/05/2008, -0/+11your tax dollars kill millions indirectly
      • gaapgod, on 07/05/2008, -1/+5^ Says the guy with the symbol of Imperialistic WWII Japan as his pic.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rising_Sun_Flag
      • Goblin, on 07/05/2008, -1/+2I think he just really likes the E.Honda stage in Street Fighter II
      • TheRascalKing, on 07/05/2008, -1/+3I killed an elephant once. Bare handed. Took some doin'.
      • kewidogg, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1Speak for yourself. This is the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning.
    • wastelander, on 07/05/2008, -0/+19All right, fine then.. I'll stop. You don't have to be rude about it.
    • Nollykin, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1BAWWWWWWWWW
  • NightVortez, on 07/05/2008, -14/+7It was taught to follow a certain pattern which makes that exact image, impressive but doesn't mean it's self-aware.
    • Roke, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1the mirror test, however, does
    • mercid, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2You might want to take a look at last month's National Geographic... Animals are much more aware then we previously thought..
  • untitlednet, on 07/05/2008, -0/+122whoa.. this elephant should set up a deviantART page!
    • Malacandra95, on 07/05/2008, -0/+36He better not... or pretty soon large corporations will be outsourcing all their web development to elephants. Apparently they work for peanuts.
    • katrayun, on 07/06/2008, -0/+2Why? Unless he starts painting Naruto fanart, no one will notice.
  • hamobu, on 07/05/2008, -2/+21I wonder if the elephant has been trained to paint another elephant, or if he is really expressing something that is on his mind.
    • blackjack75, on 07/05/2008, -1/+11And now you have to chose between what's more likely and what would be cool.
    • wastelander, on 07/05/2008, -0/+7probably porn
  • d4ftpunk, on 07/05/2008, -1/+10Yet another example of why we should stop eating elephant meat!
    • blanketfury, on 07/05/2008, -1/+2I heard it taste like chicken
    • tanchosanke, on 07/05/2008, -3/+0The real problem is that their tusks make such good knife handles and chess pieces etc. Quit frankly I don't see a way around it.... I'm joking of course. People who hunt elephants illegally are scum who want to make a quick buck and have no concern for the welfare of a species.
  • rsHoratio, on 07/05/2008, -8/+1"now paint a happy little tree! a happy little tree!" - Andy French (Mission Hill)
  • timusca, on 07/05/2008, -8/+20This really isn't ALL that amazing... animals, elephants especially, can be taught to paint one specific thing. Its not like you can drop a dog in front of him and the painting will be any different. This type of training DOES take a lot of intelligence, but its not exactly what everyone thinks it is.
    • diadem2, on 07/05/2008, -7/+3So you are saying that it can be taught to draw the lines in a certain order but not understand their significance? That's a rather major accusation to such an phenomenal feat without any evidence...

      ...which I just found in time to edit. Damn. This is a huge buzzkill.
    • bman85, on 07/05/2008, -2/+6Yeah thanks Buzz Killington

      Its a ***** elephant painting with his nose - how is that not amazing?
  • duffy89, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4These are the sort of things I want to happen more often in the hope that animals may evolve enough to bloody talk to us
    • banmaster, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Only after we solve world hunger and make dolphins talk.
      • duffy89, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Evolution won't delay anything to do with the solutions of world hunger, it's just something I look forward to =) & surely monkeys will be the first animal to talk if anything
      • aquadoctorbob, on 07/05/2008, -0/+0Dugg for ultra-obscure Jonathan Coulton reference.
    • marx2k, on 07/05/2008, -1/+0I can't imagine my cat would have much to say to me. Maybe like.. "Put on some damn pants!" or "Do that in private!"
    • JustFender, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1ah just do some hallucingens, sure the talk isnt real but my dog had some insightful views on time and colour.
  • diadem2, on 07/05/2008, -2/+11Article from Snopes - http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/elephantpaint ...

    I still don't believe it...
  • RickyTheRiot, on 07/05/2008, -5/+47Technically it is done by an elephant, however the mahood is guiding it where to draw by tugging on it's trunk. There was a documentary on the subject in the UK about 6 months ago. While that programme covers some very interesting facts about how elephants see themselves and the world around them, don't get confused. This elephant is painting another one because a human is guiding it to do so, it's not doing it "free hand" (or should that be "free trunk").

    This should be burried for being incorrect, but it's the telegraph's fault for the way they portray the story/pics.
  • sonnybobiche, on 07/05/2008, -4/+17Actually, it's not quite as nice as you guys think it is: the elephant is following the directions of the trainer behind it. The trainer holds on to the trunk lightly and the elephant just responds to this movement. In effect, the trainer is making the painting. (He is mostly out of view of the camera and dumb tourists.)
    The elephant is trained quite violently to respond in this way. It's not humane at all, but it sure gets the tourists to shell out the cash.
    I am the last person you'll ever see to join PETA, but even I think this is wrong.
    • RickyTheRiot, on 07/05/2008, -3/+15While you are correct about the mahood controlling the elephant.

      You are utterly incorrect about the training. The elephant IS NOT trained quite violently.
    • darkane, on 07/05/2008, -0/+7Where is your evidence that they are 'trained violently'?
      • Bloody_Mess, on 07/05/2008, -2/+4Enjoy!

        http://current.com/items/88882706_elephant_trainin ...
      • darkane, on 07/05/2008, -1/+4@Bloody_Mess Just because some idiot says "I guess this is what happens before they teach them how to paint..." on their blog doesn't make it true. There are much worse things done to elephants all over, and a random YouTube video of a few being tortured is not evidence that the painting elephants are treated this way.
      • iddybiddy, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1Not all elephants in Thailand are trained this way, the sanctuary's do a great job and are supported by the tourist dollar.
    • sonnybobiche, on 07/05/2008, -1/+6The ritual of torturing an elephant into doing this kind of thing is called phajaan, literally "breaking of the spirit." National Geographic has covered it in the past. You can find one such article here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/10/10 ...
      This is essentially the only way to get the elephants to do this kind of thing. Elephants don't paint.
      • RickyTheRiot, on 07/05/2008, -1/+3"This is essentially the only way to get the elephants to do this kind of thing. Elephants don't paint."

        You really need to watch the documentary. It was interesting and I can assure you that, in this example at least, there wasn't any violence involved in getting it to paint. The thing we both agree on is that with this Digg article in particular, it isn't painting what it wants but is instead being guided by the mahood.

        The documentary takes that one step further with an art teacher spending a month or so with the elephant away from the mahood and getting it to do it freehand (freetrunk). The end result was very interesting, and even fooled some of the posh London arty set when put on display.
    • JamieJ, on 07/05/2008, -1/+3One news report and you immediately assume that this elephant has been beaten and abused to do this. While I don't know what elephant camp that is, the elephant sanctuary/center that I volunteered at in thailand for 3 weeks also had painting elephants. And none of them were ever abused into doing it (lots and lots of treats got them to do it, especially sugar cane). Most were rescued elephants and were treated like kings.

      The reality is that elephants are out of jobs (logging is banned in most areas) and people can't afford to take care of them. Sending them back into the wild is out of the question since their habitat is also declining. So "tourist shelling out the cash" is the only way the center keeps open, not only to rescue elephants (they have their own elephant hospital), but just to keep the elephants fed (do you have any idea how much they eat?!) and happy.

      p.s the exact way they have elephants make the drawing is that the mahout keeps a hand on one of the tusks and directs the elephant that way.

  • anthonymcg, on 07/05/2008, -3/+1Wasn't this on the Digg Reel not so long ago?
  • banmaster, on 07/05/2008, -0/+9I wonder why they insist on giving the elephants such titchy little canvases to paint on. Its akin to us painting on a postage stamp at arms length.
    Give them a big wall or something instead.
    • theshizzler, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4Its so they can sell them to human-sized households.
    • logload, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1well the paint brush isn't exactly huge...
  • Rocco03, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5If you look closely you can see the stick they use to "teach" him how to paint.
  • cdigioia, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5It's still cool, but don't get too excited, the elephant is only repeating the motions it's been taught. From Snopes:

    "...elephants who have learned to paint - with the caveats that 'painting' in this sense means the animals outline and color specific drawings they've been taught to replicate (rather than making free-form portraits..."

    Elephants seem to be quite intelligent, but not quite as creative in painting as the article leads one to believe.
  • ChileanGoD, on 07/05/2008, -4/+1Woa... this reminds me of Happy Feet.
  • FMWatkins, on 07/05/2008, -0/+18Horton Draws A Horton.
  • mretx, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4As covered by BBC. Also includes a video report.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinbu ...
  • sim36, on 07/05/2008, -0/+8My elephant, Batyr, is taking dictation, typing using a touch screen htc touch diamond (his choice not mine) whilst driving.
    • marx2k, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5As long as he's not using his cell phone, I'm ok with that.
    • RoflCoptah, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1or drinking, for that matter
  • seabass341, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2well i find that hard to believe
  • danharlow, on 07/05/2008, -0/+8I guess the idea that you can train an elephant to paint is lost here?

    According to http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/elephantpaint ... the elephant can "paint" in the sense that "it represents the real phenomenon of elephants who have learned to do so with the caveats that "painting" in this sense means the animals outline and color specific drawings they've been taught to replicate (rather than abstractly making free-form portraits of whatever tickles their pachydermic fancies at the moment), they work under the direction of trainers, they don't all exhibit the same level of proficiency, and the quality of their output can be highly variable."
    ===
    Pulled from my reddit comment yesterday. Jesh, Digg, you're a day behind redit :)
    • tjmb9, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2What the hell is Jesh's problem, anyway?
  • DaemonNZ, on 07/05/2008, -5/+0I can't believe I'm going to be the first one to say it but... can anyone call Photoshop? :P Please insert sarcasm, for those that can't spot it...
  • aserer511, on 07/05/2008, -6/+1this isn't that impressive. Yay, we trained an elephant to make random swipes that bear some resemblance to its own species! cute, perhaps...
    • itsthebrod, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1Bears *some resemblance*? Are you ***** blind? They paint better than I can and they're quite good all things considered.
  • Detry, on 07/05/2008, -0/+27Elephants are actually pretty smart.

    What is ***** up is the elephant painted another elephant with A ***** SADDLE.

    Like it knows it is a slave.
    • twishart, on 07/05/2008, -0/+10As long as he didn't put tears in the elephant's eyes....
  • kponto, on 07/05/2008, -4/+2Dupe.

    http://digg.com/tech_news/The_Miraculous_Machine_t ...
  • isiz, on 07/05/2008, -2/+4Impressive, I had no clue animals had that kind of intelligence.
  • zippe, on 07/05/2008, -1/+5video version: digg it.
    http://digg.com/pets_animals/ORIGINAL_Elephant_Pai ...

    (i didnt submit it)
    • loggerdon, on 07/05/2008, -0/+0I for one bow to our Elephant overlords...
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