大象界的毕加索：画自画像惟妙惟肖

爱思英语编者按：作为“亚洲大象艺术和保护项目”(AEACP)组织工作的一部分，Noppakhao于8年前开始练习画画。该组织设立在曼谷北方约50英里的大城。

He has a delicate brushstroke and an eye for colour that would give Picasso a run for his money.
他画画笔锋精致，对色彩亦有良好的鉴赏能力，跟绘画大师毕加索不相上下。

So it's all the more impressive that this impressionist painter is in fact... an elephant.
而更加让人惊叹的是，这位印象派画家其实……是头大象。

Noppakhao, also known as Peter, has churned out dozens of works of art over the years, with some fetching as much as $700.
大象Noppakhao也被叫做Peter，几年来他已经出品了多幅艺术画作，其中有些甚至卖到了700美元的高价。

Noppakhao - which stands for the 'nine colours of the gemstones' - began painting eight years ago as part of the Asian Elephant Art & Conservation Project (AEACP) in Ayutthaya province, nearly 50 miles north of Bangkok.
Noppakhao在泰语中意为“宝石的九种颜色”。作为“亚洲大象艺术和保护项目”(AEACP)组织工作的一部分，Noppakhao于8年前开始练习画画。该组织设立在曼谷北方约50英里的大城。

According to the organisation's website, the 11-year-old bull 'exhibits a wonderful sense of dexterity and control with the paintbrush' to draw landscapes and floral designs.
据AEACP官方网站介绍，11岁的Noppakhao展现出了非凡的灵巧性，能够很好地控制画笔画出风景图照和花型图案。

Funds from the sale of his work go towards conservation projects and training caretakers.
Noppakhao画作所卖得的资金都被用于大象保护项目以及管理员的培训工作。

The AEACP says: 'We strive to give as many elephants as we can, a happy, healthy, enriched existence.'
AEACP组织表示：“我们力求让尽可能多的大象过上快乐、健康、充实的生活。”

'Money raised by the AEACP is used to provide captive elephants with better food, improved shelter and proper veterinary care.'
“AEACP组织所筹得的款项被用于为那些被关押的大象提供更好的饮食、改良的居所和应有的医疗保护。”

In the past, elephant painting has led to accusations that the animals are harshly treated in efforts to train them.
过去，大象画作也会引来别人的指责，他们认为大象在训练过程中受到了虐待。

But the AEACP says it 'does not tolerate any abuse of the elephants either while painting or in everyday interaction.'
但是AEACP组织声明，该组织“绝不允许任何虐待大象的行为，无论是在画画这件事上还是其他的日常互动过程中。”