THE noble elephant may have a high profile in its natural habitat but is somewhat lacking in stature as a symbol for business enterprise. However, Russia's Aeroflot airline, seeking to spruce up its tarnished image, would beg to differ, determined to prove that elephants do indeed fly. The airline this week adopted the elephant as a corporate symbol for its new livery, the lumbering beast of the plains an unintentionally apposite symbol for an airline whose reputation has suffered from weak service, frequent delays and a poor safety record - a decided slight on such magnificent creatures.

Aeroflot's new advertising campaign features an elephant incongruously hovering in a calm blue sky with the slogan "Light on its feet". Meanwhile, further south in India an insurance company has introduced a group scheme for elephants. Five brightly adorned elephants were among the first to sign up for the scheme, which pays for cremation expenses and the costs of administering tranquillises should the animal run amok. Perhaps Aeroflot and the insurer could do business?