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As you may have noticed from previous videos of Rana and Mara, the elephants have recently sought out a place they all appreciate: the pond. There is one in each of the larger yards, so no matter which configuration of elephants ends up in either yard, everyone has the ability to take a dip, if they want. 

While working by Yard 4, the caregivers saw a familiar elephant’s head emerging from under the water and took note of Guillermina, who was having a float. Almost immediately, they realized that Maia was hidden behind Guille, and she was having a pond party, too. After a couple of minutes, Bambi opted to join them and all three of them cooled off together.

Very quickly, Bambi’s playful side started coming out, and she began to trunk wrestle with Guille. That only lasted for a couple of moments before Guille seemed to lose interest. But Guille’s silliness is soon on display again as she turned her body and tried to sit on Maia. Guille was giving it her all, but Maia was unbothered, and that seemed to make things less fun for Guillermina, so she gave up. The two continued to gently push against each other, floating away and coming back together again. 

Eventually, Guille and Bambi exited the pond, while Maia stayed in. Bambi appeared to still be in the mood to tussle, so she put her trunk on Guille’s back, which made Guille situate herself nearer to Bambi, using her trunk as a back scratcher. Guille started to back into Bambi with enthusiasm and, while most of the time Bambi might walk away from a situation like this, this time she seemed to feel feisty, so she engages with Guille in a way that you might normally expect from Maia. Guille never pushes Bambi too hard; she seems to know Bambi’s limits and doesn’t overstep her boundaries. For her part, Bambi kept flopping her trunk on Guille’s back, seeming to be sillier than usual. Eventually, Maia climbed out of the pond and Guille walked briskly toward her. After their splash in the pond, it was a fairly laidback afternoon–at least that we saw. You never know what the girls get up to when we’re not around!