Hungarian circus elephant’s paintings sells for hundreds of dollars

A circus elephant in Hungary has raised about $450 by selling her own original paintings at a charity auction.

Sandra, a 42-year-old Indian elephant at the Florian Richter Circus, has been hailed for her abstract works, which usually feature bright coloured lines that flow across the canvas.

Three of her pieces fetched about 40,000 forint ($150) each at an event over the weekend in the Hungarian capital Budapest.

Sandra’s trainer, circus director Florian Richter, says the animal paints for her own pleasure, using her trunk to move the brush.

“I only help her with changing the brushes and putting them into paints but she does the rest by herself more or less. I praise her by saying ‘oh this is really good, or not so good’,” Richter told Reuters news agency on Saturday. “We have been together for 40 years so this is a family connection.”

A painting depicting Sandra herself that was drawn by a Hungarian artist was sold at the same event for for 260,000 forint ($967). All the proceeds will go to help elephants at a sanctuary in Malaysia.