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AssetID : 22117247
Headline : Elephants Beat The Heat Under The Waterfall
Caption : ELEPHANTS BEAT THE HEAT UNDER THE WATERFALL
These happy heffalumps got their trunks on and had fun chillin' out in the waterfall and coolin'' off with a shower at Taronga Zoo.
The playful pachyderms took to their tusk admirably as they found a fun way to beat the hot and sticky weather down under.
Swimming and taking baths is a major part of life for the elephants at Taronga and in the wild. With Southern Hemisphere temperatures climbing towards 30 degrees over the past few days, five-year-old Asian Elephant, Luk Chai, and his mother, Thong Dee, wasted no time in plunging into the pool in their lower paddock. Elephant Keeper, Ian Gleichman said: "The elephants will usually head straight for the water on hot days, submerging themselves, rolling around and even somersaulting underwater. The young calves also love to play about and dunk each other. It’s a great pool party,
“In the wild they spend a lot of time in rivers, lakes and mud wallows. We’re fortunate to have two great pool areas at Taronga where our elephants can cool down and the waterfall is always a favourite. I think they really enjoy the feel and sensation of the running water on their skin. Sometimes they’ll just kick back and relax with their legs in the air.”
A good time to see Taronga’s Asian Elephant herd is during the daily keeper talk at 1.15pm.

Credit: Paul Fahy/Taronga Zoo
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