Two young elephants washed out to sea were saved from drowning on Sunday by the Sri Lankan navy in the second such incident off the island in as ɱaпy weeks.
The navy said the pair of wild elephants were brought ashore after a ‘mammoth effort’ involving navy divers, ropes and a flotilla of boats to tow them back to shallow waters.
Photos showed the elephants in distress, barely keeping their trunks above water in the deep seas about 0.6 miles (one kilometre) off the coast of Sri Lanka.
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Two wild elephants were saved from drowning by the Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday after drifting out to sea
The Sri Lankan Navy said a pair of wild elephants were brought ashore after a ‘mammoth effort’ involving navy divers, ropes and a flotilla of boats to tow them back to shallow waters on Sunday
‘Having safely guided the two elephants to the shore, they were subsequently released to the Foul Point jungle (in Trincomalee district),’ the navy said in a statement.
‘They were extremely lucky to have been spotted by a patrol craft which called in several other boats to help with the rescue.’
The elephants were brought to shore unharmed and later released in the Foul Point forest.
Two weeks ago, the navy mounted a similar operation in the same region to save a lone elephant washed five miles (eight kilometres) off the Sri Lankan coast into the deep waters of the Indian Ocean.
Moment Sri Lankan Navy save second lot of elephants in two weeks
Two weeks ago, the navy mounted a similar operation in the same region to save a lone elephant washed five miles (eight kilometres) off the Sri Lankan coast into the deep waters of the Indian Ocean.
Moment Sri Lankan Navy save second lot of elephants in two weeks
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Photos showed the elephants in distress, barely keeping their trunks above water in the deep seas about 0.6 miles (one kilometre) off the coast of Sri Lanka
Navy officials say the animals were likely swept out while crossing shallow lagoons in the region. It’s the second incident in two weeks in Sri Lanka
The rescue, which took 12 hours was hailed as a ‘miraculous escape’ for the giant mammal.
Navy officials say the animals were likely swept out while crossing shallow lagoons in the region.
They are not the only wildlife to encounter trouble in the biodiverse island.
In May, the navy and local residents saved a pod of 20 pilot whales that became stranded in Trincomalee, a natural harbour that is popular for whale watching.
The waters around Trincomalee, which were used by Allied forces as a staging post during World War II, have a high concentration of blue and sperm whales, while the surrounding jungles have herds of wild elephants.