Kamala likes to paint

Kamala is an Asian elephant. She was born in 1975 in a national park in Sri Lanka. She became an orphan when she was very young. In 1976, she came to the Calgary Zoo.

Kamala likes to paint. Her handlers set up her easel and canvas once a week. She paints with special brushes.

The zoo sells Kamala’s paintings for $400 and up. The money helps run the zoo. Some of the money pays for special activities for the animals.

Did you know?

In the wild, elephants pick up sticks and draw on the ground.

2008 update

• Kamala still enjoys painting. One of her paintings sold for $4,000. Her paintings raise about $50,000 every year for the elephant program at the zoo.
• Kamala has a granddaughter now.

This article first appeared in the November-December 2002 issue of English Express.