This is the adorable moment a rescued baby elephant cooled off with a wildlife worker in a paddling pool.

The affectionate 116kg calf named Tula playfully splashed in the water while an animal handler gave it a scrub at the government's Wildlife Rescue Centre 2 in Chachoengsao province, Thailand, on February 23.

The conservationist struggled to get any work done as the mischievous jumbo wrestled with him before crawling on top for a cosy hug.

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild where they wander freely among protected forests. Male Asian elephants, unlike African elephants, roam alone once they are over 10 years old while females remain with the herd.

There is sometimes conflict when they come into contact with humans on roads and in villages so wildlife rangers are tasked with monitoring their movements.

An estimated 3,000 elephants in the country are also kept in captivity to work in the tourist industry or at religious festivals and weddings. A small number still work in commercial logging.