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Zoo Puts Elephant to Work Painting to Raise Money - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth 
Zoo Puts Elephant to Work Painting to Raise Money

Sales of elephant artwork, dung raise funds for zoo

By Sam Schulz Receive the latest weird updates in your inbox


An elephant in the Prague Zoo is earning her keep — by painting.

An art gallery in the Czech capital hosted an unlikely art opening in this month when it unveiled an exhibition of paintings by India-born elephant Shanti, the Czech News Agency reported.

In its effort to raise raise funds for an elephant zoo in Sri Lanka, Prague zookeepers put Shanti to work painting canvases whose sale they hope will buy the Sri Lankan zoo an ultrasound device.

This isn't the first time the Prague Zoo has hatched unusual plans for making money off its elephants.

How to Move a 400-Pound Bear 

Last year, the zoo began selling elephant droppings as souvenirs that could also double as fertilizer for visitors' gardens.

Zoo director Miroslav Bobek told reporters at the time that he was inspired to launch the project by his own last name, which means dung.
