Elephant Is Saved After Currents Strands Him 8 Miles Into The Sea

For the members of the Sri Lankan navy, it was just a routine morning patrol on Tuesday. Things were sailing smoothly... until it took an unexpected turn. The navy spotted and elephant all the way out in the middle of the sea. It was struggling to stay afloat after having been pulled miles off the coast by the oceans currents.

Posted by taloringer

The Sri Lanka Navy personnel said it spotted the elephant about eight miles from the shore. The elephant was struggling to keep just its trunk above the waves while the rest of its body was underwater. Navy divers decided to take action. then tied ropes to the elephant and called for two additional boats to help gently pull it back to shore in what became a 12-hour rescue mission.

Via yahoo
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The divers tied ropes to the elephant and called for two additional boats to help gently pull it back to shore.
You may think, what in the world is an Elephant doing way out at sea let alone that they can swim... but it's actually not unusual for elephants to swim long distances. Avinash Krishnan, a researcher for the Indian animal conservation group A Rocha, told the Guardian, that elephants do swim long distances but they tire quickly. "And the saltwater isn't good for their skin, so in this case, the situation probably warranted human intervention," Krishnan said

Via yahoo
After the 12 hour rescue mission, naval personnel were able to gently move the elephant onto shore where they gave the elephant to wildlife officials before releasing it back into the wild.

Via yahoo
The Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson, Chaminda Walakuluge, said that "They (elephants) usually wade through shallow waters of even swim across to take a shortcut... It's a miraculous escape for the elephant."

We are glad that the navy took action quickly and did everything possible to help save the poor elephant!

Via yahoo
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Via Dailymirror Sri Lanka