Footage shows an elephant forced to perform for tourists by swimming underwater in front of a glass window at a zoo in Thailand.

The jumbo walks into the pool before venturing over to the viewing gallery in front of dozens of visitors as they take selfies in front of the animal.

There, it walks on its hind legs back and forth and dives under the water. Crowds cheer and clap while youngsters bang on the glass window.

The controversial show - performed twice on weekdays and three times on weekends and holidays - has been criticised for continuing to exploit elephants in the country's notorious tourism industry.

While in 2021, Australian photographer Adam Oswell won the Natural History Museum's photojournalism Wildlife Photographer of the Year award for his shot 'Elephant in the room' of the attraction at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, eastern Thailand.

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have previously slammed the show and repeatedly campaigned against the use of animals in the tourism industry.

Senior Vice President Jason Baker has said that animals 'bred in captivity have a high mortality rate' and are 'forced into humiliating shows'.

'PETA calls on the Thai public and tourists visiting the country to avoid all shows, displays, and attractions that involve animals. PETA also hopes the Thai government will enact laws and regulations that prohibit this type of abuse and exploitation,' he adds.

Despite the condemnation of the show, owners of the controversial zoo defend their 'Elephant Swimming' attraction and continue to run shows.

A statement on the zoo's website says the show matches 'International standards'.

It adds: 'As far as we know, there are only a few zoos that show movements of elephants underwater like this, such as Leipzig Zoo in Germany, Zurich Zoo in Switzerland and a zoo in Japan.

'The design at Khao Kheow Open Zoo is similar to those zoos or even better when comparing with all operating budget.

'So, it is our pride today that Thai zoo has an acceptable management, in terms of animal security, animal ethics and animal's quality of life. It is expected that this exhibition zone will be visited by a lot of tourists who are interested.'