So did some other elephant trainers around the country, though some of their animals have since stopped painting. Now, she's pregnant and her keepers want her to concentrate on learning how to be a good mother. Many zoos don't teach their elephants to paint because it's unnatural. It's not something they do in the wild. But others feel it helps ease the boredom of captivity.
Painting is a trained trick.
They do it for us and we give them a reward. They enjoy it, just like throwing a softball, kicking a football or playing a harmonica. Endangered elephants African and Asian elephants are both endangered. Twenty-five years ago, there were 1.3 million elephants in Africa, but now there are only 500,000. Another 100 Asian and 100 African elephants are owned by circuses, sanctuaries and road shows.