The abstract paintings of Surapa, a 4 1/2 ton Asian elephant at the Buffalo Zoo, Buffalo, NY, are being sold in the zoo's gift shop. More than sixty have been purchased by visitors for $25 each. According to a UPI report, Surapa's keeper, Daryl Hoffman, taught the zoo's three elephants to paint as a winter afternoon pastime. "Since the elephants were used to eating anything handed to them, they ate the first brushes, but they soon caught on that if they applied the paint to canvas, they would get fruit."

Surapa's mastery of her palette soon outpaced her companions. Her works have been compared to human-produced abstracts in a downtown gallery. [01/11/1998]

February 10, 2012