In adorable news of the day, a baby Asian elephant made the most of her playtime recently and beat the Texas heat at the Fort Worth Zoo by splashing around in an inflatable pool set up just for her enjoyment, USA Today reports.
Onlookers watched, fascinated, as the young calf entered the pool before flopping herself down into the water while her mother Rasha looked on intently. Born on July 7, baby Belle is "curious and full of personality, learning new things every day, learning what her trunk is for, learning to use her legs," Zoo spokeswoman Katie Giangreco told USA Today, adding that the calf was born at 330 pounds and is gaining about 2 pounds per day.
Belle has become a big hit with children who visit the zoo, as she is the second Asian elephant born in Fort Worth Zoo's 104-year history, according to People magazine. This is remarkable, as Asian elephants have been endangered since 1976, with a dwindling population of only 25,600 to 32,750 individuals. Extremely socialble animals, calves stay under the supervision of their mothers for several years, making their first moves towards independence at around age 4, so it's no wonder that mama elephant was keeping a close eye on her calf Belle as she splashed around in the pool water.
The zoo uploaded the video to YouTube, writing, "Baby Belle knows how to make a splash! Our 3-week-old Asian elephant enjoyed some pachyderm pool time with her mother Rasha."
When one user suggested they have a bigger pool for the adult elephants, the zoo responded, "The Fort Worth Zoo has a 3,200-gallon pool for the adult elephants to splash around in. The inflatable pool is safer for Belle until she's bigger."
