This is the adorable moment the elephants decide to play in a mud bath.
Footage shot at Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana by photographer and local nature guide Aubrey Tseleng shows African elephants bathing in muddy water.
They lay down and then stood up to flick at each other in the mud.
In the footage, one of the elephants makes a loud noise as it slams its body into the water.
It paused momentarily to lie down in the water before being joined by another elephant.
They then use their trunks to splash each other with water as they play with other members of their herd.
Mr. Tseleng, 47, said: ‘I am honored to work in a nature reserve where I can witness these incredible animals in their natural environment.
‘This particular herd of elephants has been playing in the muddy water for more than half an hour.
‘The elephants kick up the water to mix with the soil, then roll around and spray mud to help cool down.
‘As the mud dries and crusts on their skin, it creates a barrier for insect biting as well as suffocating parasites such as ticks.
‘I’ve been thinking about how important it is for us to consider our impact on the planet, we have to try to preserve nature like this.’
It’s not the first time elephants have been filmed having fun in the mud at the Mashatu Game Reserve.
In September photographer Janet Kleyn captured a baby elephant struggling to wriggle out of a pool before it was helped out by other herd members.
Mashatu Game Reserve is privately owned land in the wilderness area known as the Northern Tuli Game Reserve.
It lies in the eastern part of Botswana where Limpopo and Shashe River converges.
The landscape has wide open plains, grasslands, riparian forests, rocky hills, swamps, and sandstone ridges.
Mashatu means ‘Land of the Giants’ and takes its name from the Mashatu or the Nyala berry tree and the giants that roam its terrain.
The trees, found along rivers in the reserve, provide refuge, shade, and food for a large variety of wildlife.
The land is one of the largest privately owned game reserves in South Africa.
It provides a sanctuary for the largest elephant herds on private land on the continent.
There are also giraffes, antelopes, birds, and ostriches among others, meaning the reserve houses Africa’s big seven of giants.
Experienced rangers provide the sanctuary’s drives for tourists to safely get up close and personal with the animals.
