Locations: India

At present, the AEACP has only a small foothold in India. We hope to expand our operation and establish connections with local elephant related charities. At this time, the operation is run by Shafi Quraishy and has minimal expenses for art supplies only.

GANESH

In residence in Thiruvanathapuram, Northern Kerala, India

Born wild in northen India in 1994, Ganesh is now a temple elephant at the Malyankizhi temple in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the southern state of Kerala. In southern India, many large Hindu temples keep a couple of elephants for the purpose of various religious ceremonies and to assist in the general running operations of the temple complex.

Ganesh began painting in 1999 under the guidance of Kerala-born artist Shafi Quraishy. Ganesh's calm nature and patience, and a great rapport with his teacher results in beautiful paintings, often reflecting his mood. He holds a thin, short paint brush about two feet long in his trunk and is known to paint over a unique background wash of color using clear strokes in the foreground.

LAKSHMI KUTTY