In the wild, elephants love to bathe in rivers, ponds, streams and muddy wallows. They need space to splash, roll around, submerge, and cover themselves in mud. Elephants like peace and quiet, not loud groups of visitors throwing mud or buckets of water at them. If people are crowding around them, it is very stressful for the elephants. Also, the mahout (handler) needs to control the elephant by forcing it to stand still or lie down, not giving any freedom for the elephant to play.

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It is also very unhygienic for visitors as the elephants urinate and defecate when entering the water, which may cause eye infections and sickness. There are also accidents with people slipping in the mud which is dangerous when there is a three tonne elephant close by. 

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Our program limits contact for many reasons, but mostly so our elephants can be free of constant human touch. We want our elephants to enjoy their day just as much as you. 

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By standing back, you are able to take the most amazing photos and videos, so you can remember your very special day with the elephants at Tree Tops.