Asian elephant taking a dip caught on camera at Blackpool Zoo

Tara the elephant packed her trunks and said goodbye to the heat-wave by taking a dip in Blackpool Zoo's outdoor pool this weekend.
Tara spent around 15 minutes in the poolTara spent around 15 minutes in the pool
Tara spent around 15 minutes in the pool

The stunning spectacle was caught on camera after keepers installed a secret GoPro ahead of the sunny weather.

Despite their mammoth size elephants are excellent swimmers as Tara proved in front of a huge Bank holiday crowd.

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She isn’t the first to use the five star leisure facilities, located in Blackpool Zoo’s brand new Project Elephant Base Camp, as her long time friend and companion Minbu had already tested the water earlier in the week.

Tara spent around 15 minutes in the poolTara spent around 15 minutes in the pool
Tara spent around 15 minutes in the pool

With a total area of 225m², which is marginally smaller than a tennis court, the pool gently slopes down to a depth of 3m, which allows the elephants to swim fully submerged.

It can hold a whopping 19,163 litres, or 33,722 pints, of water and is fed directly from a rainwater harvesting tank, which is capable of storing up to 55,000 litres collected from the roof of the building.

Tara spent around 15 minutes in the pool before climbing out and treating herself to a dust bath to dry off.

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Adam Kenyon, Section Head of Large Mammals at Blackpool Zoo, said: “Base Camp has been designed with many features that allow our elephants to undertake their own natural physical care.

“The pool is just one example of this, as it allows them to bathe and keep clean, as well as enjoying a refreshing dip come rain or shine.

“It also gives the elephants the choice to swim, which will help strengthen their ligaments, muscles and generally keep in shape.

“Since the weather has warmed up a little bit, we saw that Minbu was the first of the herd to enter the pool.

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“She spent a lot of time in the pool at her previous home at Twycross Zoo, and while she can be cautious of new situations, she showed no hesitation in quite literally getting in the deep end.

“After spending a while watching Minbu, a few weeks later we saw Tara take the plunge and she hasn’t looked back since.

“Kate, who was one of the first animals to arrive at Blackpool Zoo 46 years ago, has never been a big fan of pools, showing no interest in the old pool in her former home and to date she hasn’t set foot in the new pool at Base Camp.

“With the whole summer ahead we expect to see the girls taking full advantage of their open air pool”