Tricia (elephant)

Tricia (born 24 January 1957) is an Asian elephant currently residing at the Perth Zoo in Perth, Western Australia. She is known as one of the oldest elephants in captivity in the world.[1] Tricia was born in Vietnam in 1957 and came to Perth in 1963. She is named after Tricia Reschke, who was Miss Australia in 1962, as part of a newspaper competition.[2][3] In 2018, Perth Zoo announced that it would no longer house any elephants after Tricia dies.[4]

Artwork

Tricia and the other elephants at the Perth Zoo make artwork with their trunks, the proceeds of which go to charity.[5] The elephants paint either by holding paintbrushes in their trunks or blowing paint onto canvas with their snouts.[6] In 2016, a Change.org petition was started by an animal rights activist to stop the elephant-created artwork, claiming that the trainers used bullhooks. The Perth Zoo has refuted these claims.[7] Tricia's likeness has been captured by artist Ross Potter for the Animaze exhibit at the Fremantle Arts Centre.[8]

References
  1. "New lions, goodbye to elephants: New era for Perth Zoo after 120 years".
  2. "Heritage Council of WA - Places Database". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  3. "Jumbo Celebrations as Tricia Turns 60! | Perth Zoo". perthzoo.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  4. Perpitch, Nicolas (2018-10-17). "Perth Zoo reveals plan to dump elephants as part of future vision". ABC News. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  5. "Wild Art | Perth Zoo". perthzoo.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  6. "TV and Wildlife Presenter, David Whitehill shows off Tricia's artwork..." Getty Images. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  7. "Wild Art | Perth Zoo". perthzoo.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  8. Seesaw. "Visual Arts: Animaze: Amazing Animals for Kids". Retrieved 2019-01-26.
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