On August 12, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park celebrated World Elephant Day in their unique, grand style—with plenty of water and an abundance of dust.
The main star of the celebration was Sdudla, a 5.5-ton (approximately 12,000-pound) male African elephant. While everyone else discussed the importance of species conservation, Sdudla simply entered the enormous Elephant Valley watering hole and began putting on a spectacular water show. Splashes flew everywhere, his ears flapped, and his trunk worked like a fire hose.
Meanwhile, the herd's females calmly and gracefully indulged in dust baths. It was a classic scene: some were swimming, while others were rubbing themselves with dirt—the elephant version of 'everyone has their own way to relax.'
The zoo posted a video of these joyful moments and simultaneously launched the 'Meet the Herd' series, allowing everyone to get better acquainted with the residents of the new Elephant Valley. They also took the opportunity to remind the public that they have been assisting orphaned elephant calves in Kenya for over a decade.
The day's highlights:
- One extremely content enormous elephant
- Plenty of splashes
- Dusty, yet satisfied, female elephants
- And thousands of people smiling as they watched 5.5 tons of pure happiness frolicking in the water
Sometimes, the best way to celebrate Elephant Day is simply to let elephants be elephants. And it seems they entirely agree.
