Bunsung, a 14-year-old male elephant, is guided by his mahout as it paints with a...

Bunsung, a 14-year-old male elephant, is guided by his mahout as it paints with a brush at the Pattaya elephant village, 150 kilometers south of Bangkok June 8. As part of a Thai elephant art project started by several artists, the elephants will learn the fundamentals of paintings. Their work will be marketed to tourists and hotels in Thailand as well as to galleries abroad. A booming market for elephant painting already exists. There are currently about 30 painting elephants in zoos throughout North America and the demand for their work far exceeds the supply. Elephants superstars such as Kamala at the Calgary zoo and Ruby at the Phoenix zoo create works that fetch more than a thousand dollars each.