Mara's Bath 

Although the rains lasted longer this year, the shift to feeling really dry happened swiftly. For this week’s Sunday Smile, we have a video of Mara getting a bath and a drink from the hose. The water is cool and soothing on a hot day.
The heat is generally more problematic for the caregivers than for the elephants, who find little pockets of shade or bathe in the ponds or mud wallows. Many of those have underground pipes that allow them to be refilled at any time. The season may cut down on the number of mud wallows that the girls can make for themselves with rainwater, though the elephants still know how to make a mess at the water trough on any given day.