Elephants at a zoo in Houston, USA, now practice yoga to stay flexible and healthy.

It sounds like something out of a cartoon, because let’s face it, it’s hard to imagine an animal the size of an elephant doing a handstand and standing upside down. But, to the surprise of many, they’re not only capable of doing it, they’re also good at it.

Now, at the Houston Zoo , elephants participate in a static stretching practice, which is stretching without movement while standing in a certain position, much like yoga. Several times a day, zookeepers ask the elephants to participate in sessions that can last anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes, depending on the animal’s age and the purpose of the session.

During yoga, keepers can see the entire body of the elephant, from trunk to tail, and check the range of movement. If anything seems off, they’ll call one of the five veterinarians on staff for a check-up. To help keep them motivated to move, the elephants are rewarded with special treats, such as whole-grain bread, melon, raisins or bananas, in addition to their regular diet.

On the zoo’s website, the elephant warden explains how exercise is good for the animals: “Nurturing strong, positive relationships with our elephants is key to providing them with the best health care to ensure their well-being is put first,” she said. “Yoga stretching sessions with elephants allow us to build this relationship by using positive reinforcement to increase their range of motion and to get our eyes on their skin, feet and inside their mouths. We can learn a lot about our elephants from these sessions, which are very important.”