This is a video I shot of a 4 year old elephant named Suda painting a picture of herself at the Maetaeng Elephant Camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand. To use this video in a commercial player or in broadcasts, please email licensing@storyful.com
Omg. He drew it in 3D. And see how steady and accurate his brush was as he retraced the lines! Unbelievable! Incredible! Super artistic and intelligent!
Aside from the speculations of possible unfair treatment of the elephants involved in training, I’m just fascinated that elephants possess the cognitive ability to paint actual pictures like this
Sadly i witnessed first hand some of the treatment the Elephants get, they routinely have humans riding on them all day, and the trainer has a sharp tool that he used to stick in the Elephants ears, which were bleeding and seeping. Same with bears and Tigers. The bears were completely shaved and forced to do tricks for a cheering crowd, it was heart wrenching and pitiful watching this almost deformed looking bear parading around just skin and bones. Something that has stayed with me through the years. This was back in 2001, hopefully animal welfare have stepped in since then.
Hate to rain on your parade, but they’re trained to cognitively remember how to trace a series of lines that’s disciplined through training, still impressive but they’re not really painting
I really hope they "trained" her fairly and properly and respectfully because look at how precious💙Elephants are naturally sweet and uber smart so there's no need for violent "methods of discipline"
I can’t believe how graceful the elephant is while painting and so careful to stay on the line while going back over it. A real artist it’s amazing. They are so beautiful and lovely ❤
@leavewildinwild i dont think he control the trunk..however him alway going back to stand there over and over after giving it back the brush is fishy as heck...so the elephant definetly can paint...but...i think your right about him forcing it to do so
@@Nikawlosno, they really arent. The trainer just makes the elephant draw the paintings, the elephant has no understanding of art like we do, how the hell do you believe for a second elephants can do this?
When elephants are left to paint freely, they just make abstract splotches and lines of color. I think this one was taught to make the specific pattern for a reward.
@@Sukulieh Ah yes the fake friends I was out partying with last night 😂 Just think for a moment use that tiny pea sized brain of yours. How would an elephant be able to understand complex shaping to paint itself at such detail? We DO in fact have paintings made by much more intelligent animals, in particular Gorillas, and even though they are highly intelligent they have nowhere close to an understanding of structure and shapes. They have a good idea about coloring and using colors to paint something you can discern but nothing that comes as close to what this video depicts, again, those where Gorillas. Much more intelligent. Don’t you find it odd there just so happens to be a human right behind the elephant?
Oh baby! They treat these elephants SUPER well. Really. This elephant has painted this same picture thousands of times. That's how much fun the elephant is having while it paints the same picture! Cute right?
@@luky4487 They might have tortured it but that was a very poor choice of words. I’m a horse rider, and my horse is great. I didn’t torture him, I spent years training.
14yrs ago and I'm just seeing this. I'm pissed...this elephant's uniqueness should have a documentary film for the world to see. Let me go do some research. She's unbelievably talented.
I love the way the eyes look like they widen when she puts the brush to paper lol the concentraition and just pure presciousness 😢❤ and she knows when she needs more paint 😅❤
She isn't doing the painting. Elephants are very intelligent but painting isn't one of the things they are good at. Her trunk is being controlled by the mahout hiding beside her front legs. These elephants naturally would be naughty trying to play with each other. The reason they don't move is because they are pressing a nail in the flap of their ears, causing pain and reminding them of punishment.
@@shakeserfistssmith1364 Oh! I'm sorry, don't mean to. I've been studying from the best. Mostly self- education and a lot of research. I also follow many Animal Activist groups all over the world. I'll give you a video that will show you an elephant painting Telenoche - Memorias de un Elefante - Capítulo II and give you a video on how they train them young breaking the spirit of an elephant You may be better off not watching this one because it will make you cry. "Very disturbing footage". I can tell you that they are torn away from their mothers and begin their torturous training at the age of two. The first one starts in Spanish but hang in there they speak English when they are painting. You will have to copy and past in search . You Tube doesn't allow links leading to animal cruelty.
@@keepwildinthewild just shows my naivety,I myself am self taught. I come from a small town and was not exposed to much of the world. Then came the internet, at 40! Lol. It was worth it.
@@shakeserfistssmith1364 You aren't naive. If I hadn't studied them, I would have thought they were painting. I know a lot about elephants, and this is not natural to them. What is natural to them at this age would be breaking away to play with each other. But that nail being pressed into their ears they don't dare to leave their posts.
She is not painting. The mahout hiding beside her front legs takes control of her trunk and maneuvering it around the canvas. Elephants wouldn't even pick up a brush voluntarily for the tip of her trunk has very sensitive nerve endings that it is painful to hold anything for very long there. People need to know that Thailand cruelly uses elephants for profit. The one horrible things that is done here is these youngsters are the result of being torn from their mothers in the wild and put through extreme cruel and inhumane training till they lose their spirits and begin the rest of their lives obeying their human owners. This is not natural behavior for them. They would be running a muck playing with each other and being mischievous. Where they have a nail being pressed into the sensitive part of the ears, they dare not to stray.
No matter the abuse they still keep going forward inhibiting the obstacles., elephants are total legends they just keep moving on no matter what the obstacle… please stop abusing these poor creatures of beauty
Animals and birds are not only source of human beings entertainment.They are not source of food for human beings.They have their own life. so Please give them good treat, love, care and respect 🙏
This video is 14 years old and I'm only just learning an elephant can paint an elephant better than I can paint an elephant.... how is this even possible?????
@mommyissue I dunno .... sounds to me like that elephant is living a better life than u are 🫢 can u plz explain to me how the hell u torture an elephant into having a talent or a skill as such ..... just how😂😂
They do. How else does she know how to paint? She didn’t just come out of her mother knowing how to paint. She knows if she doesn’t paint, she will be hurt. I wonder how much abuse she went through to learn. Fucking people. I know damn well this poor baby is abused.
The rendition of "hello darkness my old friend" playing in the background is hilarious. Such a down tempo song turned into something that sounds semi upbeat haha
@@theenjeneer2493 This actually isn't a zoo. The animals here are From the entertainment and wildlife tourism industry. Nothing like a zoo. They undergo a process that includes being ripped apart from their mother shortly after birth, being whipped, being submersed and darkness and water for days on end, being starved, and being tortured to ensure that there Quote spirit is broken. This is not fake, hundreds of account have been reported of this. Elephants are wild, so they naturally won't do this. Please do not support this terrible industry. For more information, look up on national geographic's article on wildlife tourism.
The Enjeneer They are NOT set free, after being in captivity they would not survive. The ones that are healed are usually in their own environment not in a zoo. That way they can be set free again.
Yes, they are, but with things that come naturally to them, and this is not one of them. If you knew what you were looking for, you would see how carefully he hides behind her front legs and is squeezing her tush cavity and moving it around the canvas. At one point, she backed up and you could see his hand let go of her, and dropped down.
K. Lo No it not .... it’s fucking sad and cruel. You don’t think he just picked up a paint brush and started painting do you. no of course not he was most likely beaten into it
But wheres your evidence of that? Im not saying your wrong i just would like a time stamp....does it show that hes directing her or did u learn this elsewhere?
@@britbrat4559 You can see how the guy is standing right next to and behind the elephant the whole time. Let's see the elephant paint it without him right by her and where people conveniently can't see.
@@kymo6343 you can clearly see that the trunk is not even touched by the person standing there and no one can use the moving trunk to draw something like that and it would be more difficult to perform and you are taking away the credit from elephant too. either show us the proof otherwise your theories doesn't make sense its just a guess.
@@hasssaan99they are tortured. Check the reviews of this place on their site .. the elephants are beaten . Also elephants trucks are super sensitive. He's putting the brush inside her trunk which is why he's trembling soo much .. elephants got 40000 muscles and can do tasks with great precision.
Tbh, they don't look in a bad shape to me. You know, every year, tons of children are abused by their parents, that doesn't mean all parents abuse their children. Same goes for zoos and nature reserves, some mistreat their animals, some don't. Elephants are actually really smart creatures and I think I've hear of studies proving they can feel pleasure doing things like painting. Plus, looking at the communication means they had in African countries 10 years ago (when this video was posted), I don't think those elephants caretakers knew about their capacity to learn how to paint before seeing them into action. Rather than being tortured to learn, it seems more likely to me that they simply imitated humans after seeing them paint because they found it entertaining. We only saw 15 minutes of them without context, so we can't tell for sure how things are for them behind the curtains.
Mowd Cridhe Bunny Well, not really. I can understand how maybe an elephant would enjoy picking up a paintbrush and slapping some paint onto a canvas but there is absolutely no way that this elephant was painting that picture of its own volition. As smart as they are, elephants don’t have the brainpower necessary to conjure up abstract representations of real world things like that. There is only one explanation: she was forcibly trained to do that. Remember that elephants aren’t like dogs; they won’t simply do whatever you say in favor of food. Instead, elephants must be “broken,” typically through corporal punishment or being confined into very small cages until they bend to the will of their master. If you see an elephant doing literally any kind of trick, gimmick, or unnatural interaction with humans, 99% of the time they’re doing it because they have no other choice.
I noticed that the first two elephants were drawing essentially the same picture. Interesting! That makes me think this is trained behavior, rather than spontaneously created art. It is remarkable, regardless.
If you saw what they do to make these elephants to just stand their, it would break your heart and probably infuriate you. They are not doing the painting. The mahout, hiding beside front legs where you cant see him, is guiding her trunk around. This is nothing but a tourist trap and cruelty to animals.
Thank God someone else commented on this. So did I...I caught it immediately and stopped the vid, had to reason for a minute...we kill these animals for just their tusks? We're insane as a species...clueless.
I've seen it first hand, the person standing next to the elephant tugs on the elephants ear manipulating it into a trained action from the trunk. Sorry to ruin it for u but you will never see an elephant painting without the handler stood next to it usually on the far side from the audience.
Once when I was a little boy my papa took me to watch a parade on the road. At that time an elephant walked through front of us. He was chained. When he saw me he smiled at me and when he rose his trunk to wave at me his master struck his trunk. He was harmed just because he wanted to say hi to me😭😭😭. By the way I wasn't grown enough to figure out if the elephant was he or her😬. Whatever, that memory hurts me a lot☹️
@Winter Rous T They could, if the people that were training them were not Indians. I'm not racist or anything but all of us know that Indians are generally rude and violent. For example I once called the tech support team from Pubg Mobile and an indian answered and kept swearing me like "Motherfucker" "Cock Sucker" and more. I repeat, I'M NOT RACIST
Suda for the W my friends. Loved his energy. He would ring his bell and kinda dance when he was waiting for his brush. But right when he got it back he was focused with precision. That was unreal. Never knew about this hobby lol 🙌🏽💪🏽
Unfortunately, this is not nature's work, this the work of cruel and worth-of-dying humans. That elephant was tortured to be able to move the brush in the directions while the mahout was nudging his ear. You can see it the entire video, the mahout hides behind the elephant so that people don't get this inhumane "trick".
@@mememaster8050the elephant seems pretty happy with the tail moving (I searched on google it’s a sign of happiness for elephants), I think the trainers used a different type of training, maybe treats, not abuse :)
@@mememaster8050 what are you on to? who says they were tortured? do you have enough proof to justify your point? and if so can you kindly show us any wounds
@@user-zd4hi8kf5wI’m sorry to break it down, but what he says is true, elephants are definitely smart creatures but this is way too fishy if you think about it. By the time now she is probably 18 years old, I know this because this video is 14 years old and the description confirms she was 4 during this time. Alright let’s get into it, first, being able to draw that good for being an elephant and being four years old is way too fishy, elephants use their trunks to reach out for food in the wild not for painting obviously. Source: this is just a prediction of mine, and could be wrong. 2nd, if I were to clarify off screen they have a stick thing called a “bull hook”, this is used to jab at sensitive areas of the elephant, such as the ears of the elephant. Thy chain down the elephants so they can be able to restrain them leaving the elephant hopeless. This makes the elephants spirit broken as they can do nothing about it. Source: World animal protection 3rd, so? How do they get the elephants trained so well? They obviously take the young elephants since they are vulnerable and weak. A full grown elephant might’ve been way too strong or it’s mind would be strong enough to not be demanded orders. The young will be tied to wooden structures which the owners will be beating them repetitively, this will cause them to walk awkwardly which probably is a sign of pain and injury. Source: World animal protection, there is a video by the way to back up more of the info I got Search up “Cruel elephant training process ‘The crush’ exposed” on World animal protection that’s all the info I have
Resolve that may be true in some cases and I agree that many have been through torture, I do not know if these ones have been tortured, but these ones did the paintings by memory, elephants can remember a lot
Resolve I do see the trainer, but I don’t understand the body language of the elephant. I know u could be correct, but I cannot tell so I am unable to know. 🤷🏻♀️ I’m in no means saying ur wrong, I’m just saying that I can’t tell and that’s it, sorry. Goodnight.
They aren't painting, in fact, they have many sensitive nerves at the tip of their trunks. They would never even pick up a brush and secure it this tight. The man hiding beside her front feet is maneuvering her trunk around the paper.
@@montyrayza7220 : Could U learn such like artistic painting after regular beating for a month , No and Never---- even Picasso was not to be able to paint like our Suda, dear. Bravo!
problem is that its always the same picture, meaning that someone has most likely taught the elephant through re-enforcement and that may be far from a pretty sight. You know its from the heart, when the elephant writes, "HELP ME, I am in Chinese re-education program!"
those comments are full of idiots who jump into conclusions without knowing their shit. Elephants are creative and emotional animals by their nature. But you never know. Humans can be evil
@@dieselgeezer18Yes they are creative sweet beings. Elephants are playful when they are happy but that's not the case here. They are painting when they are told to do so. They are being forced.
Like elephants used in the elephant trekking industry, young elephants used for painting must be broken and experience the pain of the phajaan process. Over this time baby elephants are starved, shackled, and beaten, until their spirit is completely broken and will submit to the will of their captors. www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/why-making-an-elephant-paint-is-cruel-not-cute/
Так это дрессировщик рисует картину а не слон. "Глядя, как тщательно слон прорисовывает каждую линию своего рисунка, действительно хочется признать его художественные таланты. Но зоолог Десмонд Моррис развеял это заблуждение: увы, слоны не рисуют в полном понимании этого смысла. Они выполняют движения хоботом, которых от них добивается дрессировщик. Туристы, поражённые зрелищем, не замечают лёгких движений дрессировщика по уху или нижней губе животного. Но именно этими движениями дрессировщик указывает слону, сделать ли сейчас вертикальный штрих, горизонтальный, провести ли линию, оборвать, обмакнуть ли кисточку в краску… Как правило, слоны «специализируются» только на одном изображении, поскольку отточить движения - труд и для животного, и для того, кто им управляет. Но без дрессировщика слон не сможет воспроизвести даже свой «фирменный» рисунок."
Elephants must Never be hunted for any reason! Their cognitive abilities are way above other animals! This is amazing to me!!! I’m going to buy one of their paintings!!!
All of these elephants were trained using TORTURE. Be aware of that! It's called Phajaan, Crush training, Torture training; it's done by BRUTALITY, 24/7, for as long as it takes for the people to crush the elephant's spirit and Will. It KILLS up to HALF of all captive Asian elephant calves, and is part of why Asian elephants are becoming extinct, including in captivity. Wake Up! Learn!
@@ashrafsalemi4064 Captive Asian elephants are forced by Torture training to work and obey man. It's not beautiful, they were FORCED to do this by TORTURE. Learn about Phajaan, also called Crush training, also called Torture training, which kills up to half of all captive Asian elephant calves. Every working elephant on the Earth, including those who are forced to paint, were forced through it, and they are abused with sharp steel hooks, knives, and other vile tools of abuse, and chained when they aren't working, shackled as slaves. It's Not beautiful. Please learn.
for those wondering, the elephant is guided on what to paint by the trainer nudging their ear in the direction thye need to move the brush. they were taught how to paint each image and every elephant can only do one.
@@davidjones-vx9ju of course not, as they don't have trunks...... but Iif they had trunks, they might be capable of doing similar feats with proper training...
For all those commenting on how amazing this is, you have absolutely no idea what disgusting treatment they receive behind the scenes. All you have to do is search up the "Phajaan".
Thank you Oracle. As I watch the trick, I see how precise the elephant uses its trunk. It is controlled by the trainer!!!! I used to watch captive wild animals with fascination with their tricks until I realize how animal cruelty plays into the picture. Dolphins, killer whales etc. I did Google phajaan. I encourage the viewers to do so themselves. I also would like to hear from the trainers' point of view regarding the practice. And the elephant/human culture in Asia from experts. And the debate from both sides.
@@fabgirard1429 I agree with you. But with caution. Let's hear all sides of the debate. Think hunting licenses in developed countries.Trophy hunting in Africa. Commercial harvesting of krill in the southern oceans.
This is gonna be the most amazing thing that I’ve ever seen. Never in a million years what I think I would be watching an elephant paint. If anyone were to ask me, what’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my lifetime this would take the cake. absolutely amazing. I can’t even come close to drawing a TREE as good as AIFEN 💙😊😘💯
dude... i can't even draw like that with arms and an elephant can do it with a long nose just like if you were to paint with legs, such a perfect elephant
I feel so sad about seeing that TORTURE STICK (bullhook) under the painting stand. Elephant sees it all the time so (s)he knows that it’s goint to be used if the master is unhappy with the elephant’s work. This cruelty must be stopped.
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="414">6:54</a> - That moment when you realize you are sat watching an elephant paint a picture of itself, whilst the Carpenters is playing in the background, whist you are on lockdown from the global pandemic.
Esto es absolutamente increíble, y grandioso. Estos animalitos disfrutan de lo que están haciendo. Se nota que siempre han disfrutado de lo que están haciendo, por eso les sale muy, pero muy bien. Hay inspiración. Hay entrega en lo que hacen, y el resultado final es realmente maravilloso, para ellos y para quienes lo apreciamos. Maravilloso!!!!!!!
Much love to Thailand and your amazing elephants. When I was a boy, there was an elephant I would go see at the Phoenix Zoo named Ruby. She would blow snot on me sometimes. I loved seeing her. She could draw but nothing like this. They are majestic animals. Later, on we found out that their trainers abused her. Such a tragic horrible thing. Cherish one of the greatest animals you will ever see in your lifetime. 🙏
Elephant are the most Intelligent Animal on this earth, they have emotions too I am very impressed that this little champion SUDA made a very heart touching drawing and by painting he just saw us his love to all Human Beings.. I am sure that those elephants are very happy and not under any harrassment. Live long SUDA and all other Friends.. 🌹💐🙏😇 Lots of Love and Respect from INDIA 🇮🇳💐🌹
A lot of torture was involved When they were two, They were stolen from their families and had to go through the 'crush;' this video will explain better than I can upsetting footage. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ibTJmYLLNOA.html
@@enricoputrawijaya4591 The elephant is not painting. Maybe a line or two, but the mahout is guiding her trunk and inflicting pain to her ear, and maybe parts of her body to keep her focused and stay put. These elephants are miserable and depressed. This is no life for an elephant, standing there all day in the hot sun 7 days a week, then shackled all night. She should be roaming the jungle with her family. Not stolen from her family in which she was stolen by these people. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-s9GIzRPWCow.html
These elephants are tortured slaves of humans www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/why-making-an-elephant-paint-is-cruel-not-cute/ Like elephants used in the elephant trekking industry, young elephants used for painting must be broken and experience the pain of the phajaan process. Over this time baby elephants are starved, shackled, and beaten, until their spirit is completely broken and will submit to the will of their captors.
Unfortunately, this is not nature's work, this the work of cruel and worth-of-dying humans. That elephant was tortured to be able to move the brush in the directions while the mahout was nudging his ear. You can see it the entire video, the mahout hides behind the elephant so that people don't get this inhumane "trick".
Я в восторге,первый раз вижу чтобы слон рисовал,и так чётко и красиво,какой молодец,наверно много трудов пришлось приложить,чтоб научить,смотрела,немогла оторвать глаз,это великолепно,умничка,учителя хорошие.
This is not proof of intelligence. They are very intelligent, but not at something that is not natural to them. Their trunks are being used as a tool. They are not doing the physical painting. they just want your money.
I can't believe my eyes i knew elephants are highly intelligent creature but this is just so amazing i really hope suda and all those other baby elephant received so much love like they deserve.
They're not painting and their training after they are stolen from their mothers goes through pajaan or crush before these people buy them for trapping tourists for money. You can see the training here. just type these 3words in search elephant training crush
Unfortunately, this is not nature's work, this the work of cruel and worth-of-dying humans. That elephant was tortured to be able to move the brush in the directions while the mahout was nudging his ear. You can see it the entire video, the mahout hides behind the elephant so that people don't get this inhumane "trick".
