Elephants were sprayed with water to cool off as temperatures soared during a heat wave in Thailand.

Footage shows the sweltering pachyderms enjoying a shower under a sprinkler as the mercury topped 40 degrees Celsius at the Chiang Mai Zoo on April 29.

Water trucks roamed the zoo to spray the other animals in their enclosures, providing respite from the midday heat.

Zookeepers also prepared fruit ice lollies for the zoo's macaques, and frozen fish and meat for the lions and otters to snack on.

Chiang Mai Zoo Director Wuttichai Muangman said the zoo regularly conducts activities to help the animals cool off while encouraging their natural behaviours in the wild.

He said: 'The animals in each zone are equally important, so we're ensuring we care for all of them, not just those in specific zones.

'While animals in the wild can adapt their bodies and behaviours to regulate their temperatures, those in the zoo cannot freely roam to seek relief. Hence, we must develop methods to help them adapt and survive.'

He said the Asian elephants were sprayed with water up to four times a day - twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon - because of the unprecedented heat.

Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia are grappling with an extreme heat wave that has seen in-person classes suspended amid health concerns.

On April 22, temperatures reached up to 44.2 degrees Celsius in the northern Thai province of Lampang - just short of the country's highest temperature ever recorded at 44.6 degrees Celsius.

The health ministry said on April 24 that at least 30 people have died from heatstroke between January 1 and April 17.

The Thai Meteorological Department forecasted the intense heat to continue this week.