This adorable moment depicts two elephants snuggling and settling down to sleep.
Kavi, a two-tonne Asian bull, is seen plopping himself down onto Ashoka and shuffling about to create the perfect spooning position.
To commemorate National Hug Day, the zoo released an adorable clip of the elephants cuddling.”
The footage reveals that Ashoka is already lying in his barn when little boy Kavi enters and looks to make himself comfortable.
He approaches Ashoka before falling to the floor and sliding back into him.
Ashoka then lifts the front of his body off the top of his brother to allow Kavi to move forward.
‘Humans aren’t the only ones who hug,’ said Jo Maitland, an elephant keeper at Sydney Zoo.
“Elephants are social animals and require the presence of close relationships in order to survive.
“Sleeping closely has always been an expression of love and affection in the elephant world,”
‘Seeing animals share such a special bond is one the biggest privileges of being a zookeeper.’
Kavi and Ashoka arrived in late 2020 at Sydney Central Train at a brand new facility as part of the Asian Elephant breeding program.
The pair, who were moved from Dublin Zoo in Ireland, is said to be half-brothers.
The zookeepers said when the pair, who are around a year apart in age, are not sleeping softly together, they are busy playing, swimming, and sparring like typical young boys at their age.
Asian Elephants have been found across South-East Asia, and there are fewer than 50,000 of them left in the wild, with their population declining rapidly.
A spokesperson said: “Moves like this are essential to enhance global genetic diversity and provide an insurance population for endangered Asian Elephants.
‘Kavi and Ashoka will act as advocates for the conservation of their species.’
