Is this real life?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQYEVQ4w7nw
Yeah, it's actually kinda sad from what I've heard 
4ozToFreedom - Yeah, it's actually kinda sad from what I've heard
How so?
The part that fascinates me is the elephants concentration. The way it it is handed the brush and zones in and moves to the canvas really slow to get the brush in the right spot. That part is what is amazing.
Anyway, what is sad about it? Is the elephant treated badly or something?
I don't know for sure Phuckles, I've never been to Thailand, but the internet says...
To teach these elephants to paint, they go through a strict training method called Pajaan.
The Pajaan is a centuries old training method used to break an elephant’s spirit. It involves separating a baby elephant from it's mother at around 4 years old, and placing it in a structure called the Training Crush. The goal here is to literally crush the elephants independence and make them forever submissive to humans. The elephant is beaten by multiple men and stabbed repeatedly with sticks that have sharp nails attached to them. This intense beating lasts for 7 days. Throughout this period of training they are deprived of food and water and subjected to sleep deprivation to heighten the trauma. The more the elephant struggles, the more severely it is beaten. They're stabbed repeatedly in the most sensitive parts of their bodies, their inner ears and eyes. Some elephants go blind from this abuse. Throughout the Pajaan the infant is petrified, confused, in pain and in the end, ultimately broken.
When the Pajaan process is complete, the abuse continues as they are put through weeks of more training. They learn to forever be fearful of humans and to always do what they’re told. These elephants lead horrible lives.
Do not support elephant riding camps or worst of all, elephant painting. They are only able to paint these pictures because they have been severely beaten repeatedly until trained to follow along certain lines with their paint brush, as they know what awaits them if they do not follow.
They are owned for profit in Thailand and continue to be the foundation of the tourism industry, yet they have virtually no legal protection from the abuse they endure.
Wtf? 
4ozToFreedom - The Pajaan is a centuries old training method used to break an elephant’s spirit. It involves separating a baby elephant from it's mother at around 4 years old, and placing it in a structure called the Training Crush. The goal here is to literally crush the elephants independence and make them forever submissive to humans. The elephant is beaten by multiple men and stabbed repeatedly with sticks that have sharp nails attached to them. This intense beating lasts for 7 days. Throughout this period of training they are deprived of food and water and subjected to sleep deprivation to heighten the trauma. The more the elephant struggles, the more severely it is beaten. They're stabbed repeatedly in the most sensitive parts of their bodies, their inner ears and eyes. Some elephants go blind from this abuse. Throughout the Pajaan the infant is petrified, confused, in pain and in the end, ultimately broken.Our parents do the same thing to us you know