Asian elephants escape the heat in mud baths

While people cool off in the summer heat using fans and air conditioners, wild Asian elephants in Jiangcheng county, Yunnan province opt for group baths.

Wild Asian elephants, the largest land mammal on the Asian continent, protect themselves from heat by bathing or rolling around in mud to cover their bodies. More often, they use their trunks to pick up sand, soil or dust and spray it onto their bodies, which both serves as a cooling device and repels mosquitoes. [Video by He Yougang/chinadaily.com.cn]