Scientists amazed as zoo elephant uses water hose to shower herself

Mary, an Asian elephant at Berlin Zoo, has been dubbed ‘the queen of showering’.

Screen grab of Mary showering with a water hose at Berlin Zoo (Urban et al/Current Biology/PA)

An Asian elephant has been not-so-secretly filmed showering with a water hose at a zoo in Germany, in what scientists described as a “sophisticated behaviour” that shows “remarkable skill”.

Mary was captured on camera at Berlin Zoo methodically washing her body with the hose, using her limbs and trunk to guide it.

As an “unexpected bonus”, the team also observed another elephant, named Anchali, attempting to “sabotage” Mary’s shower time by trying to cut off the water supply using her trunk.

Anchali was seen kinking and clamping the hose as well as putting pressure on the pipe to try to stop the water flow.

Researchers at the Humbolt University of Berlin said both animals showed goal-directed behaviour using tools, a skill once thought to be unique to humans but which has recently been observed in other species such as chimpanzees, crows and dolphins.

Lena Kaufmann, of Humbolt University, who filmed Mary, said: “Elephants spray themselves with water, mud or dust all the time, and it’s been shown before that over 80% of observed tool-use behaviours in elephants are actually body care-related.”

But she said Mary using a water hose is special because it is an “exceptionally complex tool” that has flexibility, can extend in length, and has water flowing through it.

Ms Kaufman said: “Mary’s very skilful in behaviour with this water hose made us think that maybe elephants have somewhat (an) intuitive understanding of hoses, potentially due to the similarities with their own trunks.”

The surprise was certainly Anchali's kink-and-clamp behaviour. Nobody had thought that she'd be smart enough to pull off such a trick

Professor Michael Brecht

The researchers said both elephants were interacting aggressively during showering time, with Anchali pulling the hose towards herself and twisting it.

Michael Brecht, a professor at Humboldt University, said: “The surprise was certainly Anchali’s kink-and-clamp behaviour.

“Nobody had thought that she’d be smart enough to pull off such a trick.”

He said elephants are trained not to step on hoses which meant Anchali performing a “trunkstand” – where she places her trunk on the hose and then lowers her massive body on to it – is likely to be an attempt to disrupt Mary’s shower.

Prof Brecht said: “When Anchali came up with a second behaviour that disrupted water flow to Mary, I became pretty convinced that she is trying to sabotage Mary.”

Mary was observed meticulously washing her body with the hose, swinging it like a lasso to reach her back.

She also grasped the hose behind its tip to use it like a stiff shower head and preferred using it on her right side.

The researchers also found Mary was able to adapt her technique based on the type of hose.

Prof Brecht said: “Elephants are amazing with hoses.

“As it is often the case with elephants, hose tool use behaviours come out very differently from animal to animal; elephant Mary is the queen of showering.”

The researchers said their findings, published in the journal Current Biology, also raises questions about whether elephants behave similarly in the wild.

Prof Brecht said: “Do elephants play tricks on each other in the wild?

“When I saw Anchali’s kink and clamp for the first time, I broke out in laughter.

“So I wonder, does Anchali also think this is funny, or is she just being mean?”