Talented elephant

[marshlander]

I was trying to think of some clever remark ... but I can't. Extraordinary! I wonder what the elephant is perceiving. Is it possible for an elephant to make a link between object and symbol or is it a sequence of learned moves? Anyone know more about this?

[wouldlikemuscle]

I don't know... but I would believe it to be a sequence of learned moves. An extraordinary example of animal training as you can see the complete control the elephant had over the brush.

It does also raise some moral issues... such as the whole animals for entertainment debate.

[princealbertofb]

I hadn't perceived it as a sequence of learned moves, but now I think about it, you're probably right on that one... What does an elephant really see? Would all her drawings look the same? It's still a clever animal to have learnt to do something that is not natural to her normal state.

[marshlander]

I don't know... but I would believe it to be a sequence of learned moves. An extraordinary example of animal training as you can see the complete control the elephant had over the brush.

It does also raise some moral issues... such as the whole animals for entertainment debate.

Indeed, I was getting round to that. What would the training involve?

While I found myself fascinated by the emerging picture, I would have preferred to have been able to observe the animal and its handler.