This is the adorable moment two sister elephants play with each other imitating each other’s movements while their mum feeds behind them.
The playful moment between the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) siblings Nandi and Penzi was filmed at the Reid Park Zoo in the city of Tucson located in the American state of Arizona.
The video was released by the zoo to announce the celebration of Nandi’s sixth birthday on Saturday 22nd August.
The video shows the moment Penzi, the young calf to the left, walks front and back while bobbing her head looking at her older sister Nandi who lays on the ground just in front of her.
Their mum, Semba, who is also the matriarch of the elephant herd in the zoo, is seen standing behind the two eating large pieces of tree bark.
Penzi and Nandi continue to play lying on the ground, rolling over and standing back up apparently imitating each other’s movements.
Nandi then throws herself to the ground and looks up at Penzi who stands and watches her as the heartwarming video comes to an end.
Reid Park Zoo Director of Marketing and Events Debora Carr told Newsflash: “Our young elephants at the Zoo, Penzi, and Nandi, love each other and, as you can see, enjoy playing together.
“Nandi is a wonderful big sister and mentor to Penzi as she helps teach her how to do things such as use her trunk, wallow in the mud, spray herself with water, or slide in the grass.
“Nandi, who is on the far right in the footage, just turned six. She is the first African elephant born in Arizona and the first to be born at Reid Park Zoo. Penzi was born on April 6, 2020.
“The largest elephant is mom Semba, the matriarch of our elephant herd. Penzi and Nandi’s parents, who are Semba and Mabu, live at Reid Park Zoo.”
The sisters Nandi and Penzi playing at the zoo 
The sisters Nandi and Penzi playing at the zoo
The African elephant is the largest existing land mammal on the planet. They are highly social animals and can hear subsonic sounds eight kilometres (4.9 miles) away to communicate.
They are considered a keystone species because they take down trees and spread seeds of vegetation they eat which in turn keeps savannas from turning into woodlands.
A keystone species is a term used to refer to animal species which have an extremely important role in keeping the balance in their ecological community in comparison to their abundance.
They have been listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List since 2004.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Juan Mayes, Sub-Editor: Joana Mihajlovska, Agency: Newsflash
The Ananova page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
