Artist Will Work For Peanuts!

A GROUP of talented elephants are using their trunks to produce amazing ARTWORKS in a jungle conservation camp.

The giant creatures have created hundreds of pieces at the centre, where they can also play football and basketball.

Among them is 11-year-old Lankam, whose masterpieces include a delicate painting of a potted yellow flower.

Swedish photographer Bronek Kaminski had been travelling through Chiang Mai’s Maesa Valley in Thailand when he stumbled across the park.

He said: “I was amazed by the elephants. They hold the brush in their trunks and paint as if it’s second nature. Each stroke is so considered – it’s quite unbelievable.”

Male Lankam is one of eight elephant artists at the Maesa Elephant Camp, which draws thousands of tourists to the northern Thai region every year.

In 2004, Lankam was joined by pals Kongkum, Wanpen, Kamsan, Duanpen, Songpun, Punpetch and Pu Ood to create a record-breaking painting.

The 72ft by 8ft work sold for £20,000 a year later and is officially recognised as the largest and most expensive painting by a group of elephants.

The jungle camp provides a healthy environment for the elephants while working to conserve and breed them. Numbers in the wild are dwindling.