Nick & Gypsy
This is a painting of Nick and Gypsy, two Asian elephants retired from the Hawthorne Corporation to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). The Hawthorne Corporation rented out their elephants to perform in circuses and for elephant rides. Several elephants from this organization had been released to The Elephant Sanctuary ( TES) in Tennessee but TES did not take bull elephants so they left him with Gypsy at the Hawthorne facility. PAWS stepped up to the plate and decided to rescue him and is currently open to adopting more bull elephants.
Now, they can just be elephants and here they are playing in the mud together. When Nic reached his teenage elephant musth, he was moved to his own barn and own field where he has a water feature, a pond, hills to roam and trees to conquer. Gypsy has found an old friend in Wanda and it is surmised that theymay have known each other from circus performing days (an abusive experience for the elephants). Now they hang out together in the Asian elephant habitat at PAWS, free to explore the hills, swim in the pond and just be elephants.
This painting was sold at the PAWS 25th Anniversary celebration, Saturday, April 25th, 2009, and all proceeds went to the Performing Animal Welfare Society. |
