Arty elephant 'Windi' is big draw

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Like a real maestro, Windi holds the brush firmly with her trunk and dabs the paint on the canvas, creating a forest of colors of her choice.

The skill of the 18-year-old female elephant has been a new attraction at Taman Safari animal park in Bogor since January this year.

So far, Windi has created 50 paintings, many of which have been sold at Rp 20,000 (US$2.08) each. Other paintings were on display outside the park's Rainforest restaurant, the arena usually used for elephant shows.

"The money will go to our conservation projects," the park's spokesman Yulius Suprihando said on Friday.