It’s completely normal for naval units across the planet to be called in for rescue missions — it happens all the time. What isn’t typical is when the victim they’re rescuing isn’t a human — it’s an elephant.
It was an ordinary day for a Sri Lankan naval team to be patrolling the Indian Ocean. Their routine was a normal route and area that they would watch over. The weather was calm and the team hadn’t received any calls of distress.
The Sri Lankan naval team then spotted something unusual bobbing up and down in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
As the sailors got closer to the drifting object, they couldn’t believe their eyes. It was a full grown Asian male elephant, struggling to keep its head above water.
It was obvious to the crew that the elephant was fighting for its life. Its large body can only stay buoyant for so long before they have to give up and sink. This elephant was clearly out of all its energy. They knew that the clock was ticking for this gentle giant.
It’s normal for elephants to swim, in fact, they’re quite good, but this full-grown elephant was found 10 miles off shore.
Out of all land mammals, elephants are considered to be some of the best swimmers. This elephant, however, was far out of its element. Even the best swimmer couldn’t handle wide-open ocean for long. Especially the strong and powerful currents being so far out at sea.
Because of the location, officials believe that the struggling elephant had been trying to cross a local lagoon off the east coast of Sri Lanka. The Kokkilai lagoon is a popular crossing point for elephants, however, the high tide must have swept the elephant out to sea.
The Navy and the wildlife department dispatched for additional help to rescue the elephant before it was too late.
Divers jumped into the water to help calm the elephant down and to attach a tow rope around its tired body. We can’t even imagine what this elephant was thinking at this moment.
The relief must have been incredible knowing that there were people to finally help.
It took 12 hours to gently tug the elephant back to the coast of Sri Lanka, and it’s incredible footage to watch.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
