In a captivating display of pure joy, a baby elephant has been caught on camera playfully splashing in a tub of water.
This heartening episode occurred in Kanchanaburi province, located west of Bangkok in Thailand.
The charming footage features the seven-month-old elephant, Choojai, gleefully soaking in a plastic tub.
An off-camera zookeeper directs a stream of water at the young pachyderm, adding to his aquatic amusement.
Choojai, a vibrant Asian elephant, takes complete delight in his watery playground. Dipping his head beneath the surface and then lifting his trunk over the tub’s edge, he creates playful waves that spill over the brim.
Not content with merely splashing around, Choojai can be seen lying in the cool water, his ears flapping happily. Meanwhile, his dedicated keeper maintains a steady flow of water to keep the fun going.
Asian elephants, an endangered species, are the largest land mammals. They come in three subspecies – Indian, Sumatran, and Sri Lankan.
Slightly smaller than their African counterparts, they sport skin that varies in shades from dark grey to brown, adorned with pink patches on the forehead, ears, and trunk base.
Like other hairless mammals, including rhinos, elephants rely on baths of water, mud, and clay during hot summers.
These help keep them cool and offer a protective layer against the harsh sun. An interesting study conducted by the University of Geneva, Switzerland, in 2018 discovered that an elephant’s deep skin wrinkles are nature’s clever design for heat management.
These wrinkles enable water to spread evenly, thus helping to reduce the creature’s body temperature.
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