Elephant at West Midland Safari Park likes to paint
When her keeper says ‘paint’, Five picks up her paintbrush and starts painting. When she is told ‘okay’, Five puts down the brush.
Five has completed more than 50 works of art since taking up the hobby two years ago.
Bob Lawrence, director of wildlife services at the park said her creations have attracted critical acclaim from art aficionados the world over. He said: “She took to painting like a duck to water. She is really unique.”
Mostly abstract, her work has been likened to that of the young Picasso as she works in vibrant colours.
Five is one of three African Elephants that were re-homed at the safari park from a private elephant orphanage in South Africa in 1998, when they were just five years old.
Another elephant at the park is set to become a father - despite the mother living hundreds of miles away in France.
Jack, a 16-year-old elephant has become the subject of a scientific experiment to impregnate 20-year-old female elephant N Dala, who resides at Beauval Zoo, near Tours.
It will be 12 weeks before the Zoologists know if the artificial insemination has been successful.
West Midlands Safari Park Director of Wildlife, Bob Lawrence said: “These are ground-breaking techniques and flying the veterinary team by private plane from Gloucestershire Airport to Tours was the best way to achieve the task.
“The material however cannot, for obvious reasons, be allowed to pass through an X Ray machine and we arranged with the airport staff to clear this in advance because it was essential that we weren’t delayed.”
