“The Wonder of It All.”  I’ll bet you find yourself humming that catchy jingle for the local resort casino from time to time. I’m here to report that wonder can be found in other places too, some of it from places you would least expect.

Case in point, a friend e-mailed me a link with the accompanying note, “Check this out---you won’t believe it.”

I’ll admit I was dubious. Having viewed just about everything (or so I thought), I assumed I was in for another bizarre video showcasing some example of human stupidity. You know, the guy who goes cross-country walking on his hands or some fat lady lunging for a garter only to careen into the wedding party. When you’ve seen as much as I have, a sure sign of advancing age, it takes a lot to impress. It takes something big. Something perhaps the size of an elephant?

What I witnessed in this particular YouTube portal did more than merely impress, it caused the proverbial jaw to drop. For the six minutes it took to watch this one video, time and all of the other things I could have been doing didn’t matter. This one image served as a sweet reminder that magic, mystery and wonder are all very possible.

I owe it all to a friendly elephant with a paintbrush.

Please, do yourself a favor, and toss the following words into your search engine of choice---“elephant self portrait.” You’ll be transported to a far off region of the world where elephants thrive. You’ll see an elephant grasp a brush in her trunk and proceed to apply paint on canvas. You might expect an abstract mess of incoherent lines, blotches and squiggles.

Hold onto your computer mouse. What happens is truly amazing. The elephant patiently goes about the business of painting--- herself. It’s an elegant artist’s rendition of an elephant, complete with trunk, tail, legs, eyes and even a subtle smile. Our multi-ton artist adds a delicate flower gripped by the trunk of the elephant in the picture. The video captures the process from start to finish. Some might suggest trick photography. I’ve done enough research into this thing to firmly believe that what we see on the screen is real. Elephants at this “art camp” regularly paint pictures with the skill and dexterity of trained “people” artists.

Scientists report that elephants have well developed brains with as many neurons as humans. Their brains have a large and very developed hippocampus and extended cerebral cortex structure. They are on a par with apes and dolphins in terms of intelligence. Elephants are adept at forging and using tools with their trunks (swatting flies or scratching themselves with tree branches for example); they enjoy one of the closest knit societies in the animal kingdom; they are the only animals outside of humans who are known to have rituals surrounding death; some African elephants self-medicate by chewing the leaves of certain trees which induce labor; when placed in front of mirrors elephants have exhibited self-awareness (very rare among animals, although most humans over-do it). Elephants are excellent problem solvers. They are even considered accomplished mimics, often heard vocally imitating other animals in the wild. They posses so much and are truly remarkable in so many ways.  To see a creature like this one paint her self-portrait is more than awesome, it is unquestionably humbling.

We humans take so much for granted. We are far from alone on this planet and are certainly not the exclusive intelligent form of life (a glance at the daily news is proof of man’s somewhat limited intelligence). Maybe someday, more of mankind will understand that. I sure hope so.

Do me a favor and check out the video when you get the chance. I was floored by it and found myself misty eyed at the prospect that there is so much we don’t understand about our neighbors on this earth. Perhaps you won’t have the same level of reaction that I did. But I pretty much guarantee that watching an elephant create beautiful art before your eyes should get you to stop for a moment…and maybe even wonder.