by Footage filmed at the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana by local photographer and nature guide Aubrey Tseleng shows the African elephants bathing in the muddy water.
These baby elephants get their swimming trunks out as they enjoy a splash around in a mud bath – with a little help from their elders.
The herd of African elephants doused themselves in the muddy water for a quarter of an hour in an effort to cool themselves down. In particular, two young elephants – thought to be just four months old – completely submerged themselves in the waterhole.
They lie down flat and then stand up to flick each other with the muddy water as they play in the reserve. In the footage, one of the elephants splashes loudly in the water as it has a bath. It pauses momentarily to lie flat in the water while another elephant appears in shot.
One begins to stand up while the other lies down and eventually the two are stood together. Then they use their trunks to splash water at each other as they frolic with the other elephants.
Wildlife photographer Mike Dexter, who works for a safari company, spotted the elephant herd in the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana. He was leading a couple of South African visitors through the reserve and managed to get within five metres of the great animals.
Mike, 27, who lives on the Mashatu Reserve, said: “I had been waiting patiently for the elephants for over two hours before I saw them arrive.” “The herd were making lots of high pitched trumpeting noises while they splashed around in the mud bath. After one particularly enthusiastic trunk flick, a shower of mud sprayed over the two South Africans I was with and drenched their gear. Thankfully I was standing a little to the side of them and was spared the shower.”
“I was silently laughing my head off as you have to try and keep quiet when in such proximity to these huge animals. Fortunately the two people with me thought it was great and were laughing as well – it’s not every day you get sprayed with mud by a wild elephant.”
