This elephant is proving that you’re never too big to bounce around in the mud as it tries to cake its entire body.
He doesn’t let his 13ft height get in the way as he rolls around and plays happily in the mad bath – as an African photographer captured the incredible scenes in a South African game reserve on camera.
The full-grown bull used his full weight to create jets nearly as big as him to cover himself completely.
But it’s not just fun. Elephants use mud to cool their skin and protect them from parasites and from the intense UV rays of the hot sun.
Photographer Anette Mossbacher said the elephant spent about half an hour languishing in the mud before wiping its ears and eyes with its trunk.
The 52-year-old German but living in Bergdietikon, Switzerland, spotted two male elephants approaching the mud pits in Madikwe and decided to follow them.
She said: ‘It was fun to watch this elephant take a mud bath.
‘When I saw he was very interested in it, I thought if he wasn’t big I might be in.
‘There were huge jets almost as tall as his body. He splashed all four of his legs after the other to cover his belly as much as possible.
‘The elephant was chirping a bit, but it was busier with mud all over his body.
‘The elephant looked very happy, and he even had a smile on his face, or at least we can call it that!
‘After stopping, he suddenly realized that we were there watching him, and he charged us for a few meters, but instead decided to step over to his friend, who was still bathed – sadly behind bushes and out of sight. ”
