Summers are pretty great when you’re a kid. There’s nothing quite as fun as getting sprayed down with a hose by your parents, frolicking through a sprinkler, or visiting your local park and splashing around in the water fountain.

Elephants, and animals in general, feel the same joy that humans do when playing around like this. While many of our perceptions of elephants have come from seeing them forced to do tricks in circuses, or observing their depressingly unenthusiastic behavior at zoos, their demeanor in the wild is much different! Yandee, the elephant, for example, seems to be having the time of his adorable life getting hosed down by his kind caretaker. He romps around in the mud, lifts his hooves, and swings his trunk around. Considering it’s the hottest time of the year at Elephant Nature Park sanctuary, it’s no wonder he’s practically dancing with joy!

Although, elephants may seem like calm and stoic creatures in zoos, upon closer inspection it’s obvious that they are in fact just bored and depressed. An elephant roaming free in the wild will walk up to 30 miles in a day, so it’s no surprise that they feel desperately trapped in confinement. Let Yandee’s exuberant nature serve as proof that elephants are emotional creatures that deserve joy and play time as much as any other being on Earth! To learn more about Elephant Nature Park’s work, visit their website.