Kamba proudly took a bow after playing a few notes on the harmonica - through her trunk - for an amazed crowd Saturday.

Then the 4,200-pound African elephant stopped and stared at her trainer, clearly waiting for something after delivering such an impressive performance at the 1999 State Fair of Texas.

"What? Do you want another treat?" trainer Doug Terranova asked.

The 19-year-old elephant nodded, and he gave her a grain pellet.

The four-toed star of the "African Elephant Encounter" seemed to have no problem with stage fright, despite crowds of about 350 for each show.

A movie star, Kamba has appeared in the films Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Problem Child, on TV’s Circus of the Stars and in the opera Aida. The elephant, who Mr. Terranova says is a Republican, also appeared at a rally for former President George Bush.

In a trunk show of sorts, Mr. Terranova had Kamba (pronounced Kaahm-baa) demonstrate her talents by picking up a branch, eating grain and drinking water with the trunk.

Afterwards two young volunteers helped give the star a bath.

Shell McKelvey, 12, of Watauga sprayed Kamba with water and then brushed her to exfoliate her wrinkly skin, which is seven times thicker than human skin, Mr. Terranova said.

"It’s really rough," Shell said.

Kamba was a hit with Steve Reneau of Mesquite and his 2-year-old grandson, Nicholas.

"He’s an animal fanatic," Mr. Reneau said of the toddler after they got their photo taken with Kamba. "he’s been saying ‘See animals, see animals,’ ever since we got here."

People of all ages lined up after the show and paid for snapshots with Kamba - some of the youngest participants showing a mixture of fear and excitement.

Mr. Terranova ended the show on a more serious note, though, by explaining that as the human population continues to grow, there are fewer and fewer elephants habitats left for the endangered species.

"The sad plight of the elephant today is there’s no place for them to go back to," he told the crowd.

After the fair Kamba will return to her home at Mr. Terranova’s training facility, about 45 miles away, where she has trees, ponds, creeks and other elephants with which to play.

But for the next three weeks, she will live at the fairgrounds, performing four shows a day on weekends and three on weekdays in the amphitheater next to the Dallas Museum of Natural History.

The museum has an exhibit running through Feb. 6. "Elephants!" includes information on the history, eating habits and other facts about the animals.

Judging by attendance so far at the exhibits, people are showing a strong interest in elephants, museum workers said. The animals have gained a lot of attention in recent years as the sale of ivory was banned.

"I think there’s more respect for elephants," said Jo Szymanski, director of operations for the natural history museum.

After the show, Mr. Terranova held out his hand and asked Kamba to give him five, which she did - with her trunk.