In 2001, marketing officials at the beautiful Phoenix Zoo, in Phoenix, Arizona, booked me for aspecial after-hours concert, to raise funds for the zoo. I flew in from Nashville, and upon myarrival, officials gave me a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo. One of the zoo residents that Imet, was Indu, an Asian elephant that had a very unusual hobby…painting! He was discoveredusing a tree branch to draw in the sand and dirt in his enclosure. The zookeepers gave thepachyderm a big brush, an oversized palette with different colors of paint, then put a largecanvas in front of him. They showed him what to do, and he began expressing himself throughpainting. He loved creating, and his original canvas art, along with prints, was a huge success,and the elephant artist’s work sold for some big bucks, helping to pay for his upkeep, andenhancing his enclosure. The concert/event was a major success, and…

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