Elephant Painting Self Portrait 1

[Sweetdolphin1997]

Amazing he really knows what hes doing

[iijiyoungii]

I wonder how they trained this elephant! 

[IbizanHound2]

Come'on Bob Ross, get out of that elephant.... We know you 're in there!

[Molhedim]

Let me translate this for you : " this is me......and that motherfuker is the bastard who rides me to death"

[ForeverVachon]

I am disappointed that there's not a long shot. I keep thinking "man's arm in elephant trunk suit". I hope it's real but the video doesn't do much to dispel doubt, particularly in this day of digital manipulations.

[mariaperiwinkle]

@ForeverVachon @3:00 is pretty good.

[lungofd]

love the music

[danyta777]

*.* It makes me cry to see this beauty!! =D

I wonder what were those 9 ppl thinking...

[CoolWaterCar]

that Elephant is a over-expected talent !

i wish i can draw like that ....

[guywets]

Well done but its a fake!

[78rohan]

Beautiful...

[Vithimiris1]

sadly its not as amazing as you think these elephants are beaten and trained to do this.

[oromuisca]

@Vithimiris1 these elephants looked well kept,free of scars etc..I think if they were beaten,they'd attack their handlers..I do think they probably learned to draw thru training. Well if they were treated badly, they can write "HELP!!!"

[illuminatedangel]

Poor little elephant.  The humans in this video are a disgrace to our race. Shame on you!

[TheStefchoo]

He/She is painting better than me :$ !

[toptrader99]

I look at the beauty of the picture drawn by the Elephant and it makes me smile

[SieChen]

@toptrader99

Apparently you are just twelve. Please search for "Thai elephants - abused entertainment" in Youtube.

Elephants don´t paint.

[olllj]

While this could just be a trick or trained behaviour, there is no reason to assume this,siince it is more likely to be real and truly creative. Elephants use their nose for MANY things, they know how to use this precisely. Elephants can paint. its nice to see this on youtube in countless videos.

[SieChen]

@olllj: Do you really think elephants perform these tricks because they are creative? And they like to paint?

Have a look in Youtube for these searchwords:

* behind the Siamese smile

* Thai elephants - abused entertainment

This is how they are trained. Framed and tortured with bullhooks, fire and beaten with steel pipes. Depraved of food and water for days or weeks, until they break. Or die.

Nice paintings!

[SieChen]

THINK!!

How can such an intelligent and powerful animal be tought to perform for stupid tourists? By pure torture! Find out about the Pajaan training method on internet. This is how they break baby elephants into submission.

Yet another disgrace for humans. Do not visit such performances, take elephant rides or go to a circus. Dislike this video!

[Serai3]

@SieChen No, I'm not going to dislike this video. apparently you think elephants have no creativity or need for expression. Sounds like YOU are the one who doesn't like them.

[SieChen]

actually it wasnt even me who send that... Anyhow This has nothing to do wether to like or don't like elephants.. I think (and my dad does also) that elephants are awesome creatures. They even mourn when somebody from their group has died. thats why we humans can relate to them, because of their emotions. They are very intelligent and capable of doing even more astonishing things. Even tho this might look cute, it's not normal behaviour. And I'd rather see them in the wild, where they belong..

[IKNOWITSADUMBCOMMENT]

lol a 4 yr old child can draw better!

[1958lespaul1]

I am thoroughly freaked out.

[andyc280081973]

What amazes me the most is how they found a big enough mirror.

[kittycat101010]

The elephant draws a better elephant than i do :[

[sizzle9000]

I WANT TO BELIEVE

[SanFranciscoJames]

WOW!

[MsGmoi]

This is remarkable. I always thought they were incredibly sensitive intelligent creatures - this proves they are self aware. Amazing. Such lovely creatures.

[dirkrocks123]

Benne

[dirkrocks123]

Hahah

[dirkrocks123]

WOAH HE CAN PAINT BETTER THAN ME

[Schmeeky455]

I've not seen elephants paint before. I find this fascinating, elephants must have self-awareness and a level of abstract thought to be able to do this, and that's a very very cool thing indeed. I love the way Kaew included his/her mahout. I love the use of colour. I love the time Kaew took to put the strokes 'just' where he/she wanted them.

Absolutely awesome.

[VampireGal225]

Many people do not think this is real well it it they can not face the fact that an elephant is a better artist than them

[leximelograno]

This is amazing!! I have no words!

[msfuzzibear]

Pulls my heart strings

[Jabbi1231]

Awesome

[themranonemus]

Even if they are trained to do this, its amazing that they can reproduce this pattern... using only THEIR NOSES.

Elephants rock.

[CarlosMarioMedellin]

What about african elephants do they paint? Has anyone trained them to do so before?

[BeMyBelarus]

Do you think elephants know they look that way?

[monkeyboi200098]

They are around other elephants all day.... so uhh yeah I would say so

[1madaboutguitar]

@BeMyBelarus Well they might come across a few other elephants in thier time, that might give them a few clues???

[khtervola]

Great to see the elephants eyes as she/he draws! Now one can know that it is really an elephant painting and not a fake, besides it is socially interesting to see the expression of a painting elephant together with what it then paints! Make more videos like that and many many more people will believe you!

[PlanetVerdia]

Elephants have a good memory. I think they were just trained to trace a drawing or something.. It's really hard to believe an elephant is capable of coming up with a design, colors and figure drawing...

[bioches]

this is so cute

[348Silva]

He paint better than certains guys that I Know, and called himselfs Painters with big P !

[Lenoxuss]

Elephant eyesight is not similar enough to ours that it would recognize what it is drawing as being an elephant. That said, just moving the brush like that is an incredible ability.

(In situations when they haven't been trained to make certain brush strokes in certain ways, they like to make abstract paintings… just like human kids do!)

[surge9000]

I would like to see how they teach them - and how much of it is their own 'artistic flair'. I notice the elephant went over the grass part again. I guess he (she?) likes grass alot? Mmmm, yummy yummy grass.

Majestic animals.

[Funkyfists1]

DAMN TRUNK HOLD STILL!!!

[criticman10]

I just wanna know what s going on in this elephant's mind:" These stupid human are making me paint... They are soo stupid.!!! well at least that will get me some peanut " LOL

[BadWaters]

It upsets me how half of the commenters here have reacted in the wrong way to this video. Dont lament your humanity, but embrace the beauty of this amazing animal instead. I make no excuses for myself or my race - neither should you. Shameful.

[whatever2981]

hehe.. to see such things, is worth living for...

[jdotreed1]

so fake!

[reitaslover]

even if the elephant was trained it still has the intelegence to remember and recreate the painting itself...these animals are truly amazing :0

[gubba6]

sad wen the elephant puts the human on top off itself.. :(

[bluefox216]

i tried to copy this with my own hand... failed epically my painting looked more like an aardvark than an elephant and i used markers instead

i'm 15...

[FeroxX]

paints better than a 5 year old kid =)

[hulkmam3]

@FeroxX paints better then some adults it probably equal to an average 6-7 year old human in ability.

[EmoFoxChibi]

Paints better than me, thats for sure. (14 here. xD)

[ROYALDISASTER]

im an artist and i can tell u his work have composition, expresion value, color balance wen he uses color, etc. a lot of humans cant do what he does. its amazing

[longinus876]

what music is that? they are beautiful creatures.  we suck

[ccarolinaa13]

really amazing

[jaybirdchicago]

This is a hoax. Freeze the video at 3:02 and you can plainly see the puppet "trunk."

"Elephant painting" is a HOAX.

[AngelMMEB]

Your wrong. This is being featured on National Geographic this weekend and was shown on Good Morning America today. NOT A HOAX.

[fiebigie]

Didin't you see the head of the elephant? Is it also a puppet? If you would really freeze the clip there, you would see that it is the real trunk and in front of his tusk... It is real. Look around. Here are much more videos where you can see the trainers guiding the elephants. :)

[alaumudir]

True, the real trunk goes downwards and it looks like the puppet trunk is coming from below at a 90 degrees angle, which is not realistic...

[limbdarkening]

A trunk has no bones, it can bend any direction. I've seen this before in a zoo, it's real.

[limbdarkening]

No, it's real, I have seen it myself. Wild elephants also draw in the sand with sticks. It's real. There are other intelligent and artistic species on this planet besides humans you know. We just seem to overlook something if it isn't human.

[lololauren2001]

its amazing how an elephant does this i mean if you think about it its amazing... lol all i can say is amazing(: Lauren

[chitons21]

@limbdarkening So true. We are amazingly arrogant. If it ain't human it has no value according to many humans. Even when faced with the evidence many humans will deny it. Methinks the elephant is a lot smarter than many people watching youtube.

[igytsiycm]

Yep. Observed, verified, tested, and proven in science. Koko the gorilla was really smart sometimes too. People tried to say it was a hoax because she was taught how to sign and when to react and how at certain things, to appear intelligent.

Right, it's called reality. Humans do the same thing. Teach language to their kids and teach them values (when to react to things and how, so they *appear intelligent*).

If Koko was happy, she could say so. When she was sad, she could say so.

[WelshDegenerate]

@limbdarkening Yes but what's in question is whether the Elpahants are conscious of the things they are replicating.

We've shown they have a level of self-awareness, from the infamous mirror-tests. As for the paintings, it's amazing but they could just be learned brush strokes and these are aided by humans.

What's not clear, either way is whether the Elephant knows it's drawing an Elephant or not. Or is simply replicating movements.

[themranonemus]

@limbdarkening yeah, as a species, were pretty speciesist. Pity that we wont see the octopus invasion coming :)

But really, so many other organisms are SO SMART. Sometimes they're even ones we eat (pigs, depending on interpretation, are smarter than dogs). While elephants may be the only other one that produces art, tool use and even tool invention/modification/instruc­tion can be found in animals as far from us as the molluscs (really, cephalopods are [expletive] amazing).

[HisEmptyHouse]

@limbdarkening Yeah we can learn a lot about our intelligence by observing it in animals like elephants. Perhaps some day we may even be able to communicate more meaningfully with elephants. In any case elephants are one of those species that given their nature they should always be protected.

[retrocareermelted]

sure they had training but im sure he knows what the elephants understand what it is they are drawing

[eg2410109]

first of all the train they get is the train that anyone would get,people just show them how to paint

[sim0b]

Amazing Elephants why isnt that on the news??? Why is it that people from around the world seem to care about is making lots of money and buying the latest cars, and attaining status whilst their kids are being fed crap from school. why are people so obsessed about money and power? Im happy with just my arms and legs. Ive never been obsessed about making millions and gaining power over others. It takes most people to see the brink of death to wake up though i think, not all but most.

[narlybabe]

uve already posted this in another video... why post it again with the exact same words?

[sim0b]

why dont you shut your mouth ?

[narlybabe]

because im not a brainless moron that doesnt state her opinion when she wants to :)

[babybombermon]

@sim0b Because, with money, we could buy alot of things. Entertainment, games. cars. lmao.

Most people wont find this interesting. But i do.

I want to be famous, and be well known in the future. And with that, i need alot of practice and surpass this elephant in art. LOOL :P

[hybby]

@sim0b Making millions can allow you to bless others with that abundance. There is nothing wrong with wealth, since money and wealth are simply energy. Directing that energy properly is what makes the difference. :)

[CrysiSwkotor]

@sim0b as buying the latest car this is absolutly unimportant and at least as much worth as money nowadays...

[imsodamnhot]

@sim0b who gives a shit?

[infernol28]

impressive :|

[kasskoffee]

I've heard that they are trained to paint just one or two pictures.

[kingsman565]

"I've heard that they are trained to paint just one or two pictures."

You can't be trained to paint any art teacher will tell you that, you ethier have artistic ability or you don't.

In doing this, this Elephant has demonstrated two this;

1. Imagination

2. The ability to project it's thoughts from it's mind to the outside world two things we thought only humans could do.

[hardtobeleive]

elephants are intelligent animals, but that doesnt mean they have the cognition to just simply pick up a brush and paint like that.

they had some kind of training

[kingsman565]

Of course they'v had training but you won't find any other animal or children under 5 for that matter that could paint this well, you & I wouldn't have the cognition to just paint a picture if we were never introduced to the idea untill now.

[hardtobeleive]

Yeah. What does "you cant be trained to paint" mean?

[kingsman565]

What I mean is you can't instill artistic ability, for instance a chipanze couldn't paint that well or even your avarage kindergardener.

[narlybabe]

you can definitely be trained to paint but it takes artistic ability and imagination to improve your drawings and not draw the same thing over and over

[tangomango13]

LMAOOOO

yah the elehphant made that painting up itself

they are trained to do specific paintings over and over again

it has no clue what its doing.

[kingsman565]

Well clearly he dose. But anyway I'm not repeating, and how do you know the Elehphant has no idea what he's doing? Do you know how an Elehphant think's?

[chitons21]

@tangomango13 Yes, in the same way you have been trained to laugh at things you don't understand. You act like this painting shows no intelligence when even the act of hitting the canvas with the paint brush requires significant intelligence. You do see that it is using its trunk, right? You know, that big muscle that can pick up tree trunks is doing the work. That alone takes great thought, care and intelligence.

[rahla53]

How are they trained? Do they watch a bunch of pictures first? Are they given freedom to paint just whatever they desire? Very interesting! I wonder how many painters are reincarnated as elephants!