Just like our recent post about a chain of swimmers who came to the aid of a family caught in a riptide, this is another heartwarming rescue of trust. An elephant stranded over 10 miles out to sea trusted sailors of the Sri Lankan Navy to safely tow her back to land. The slow-paced rescue took over 12 hours.
Elephants, which are related to manatees, typically swim short distances between land masses. Their trunks are like built-in snorkels. This elephant was swept out to sea by a strong coast current. The critical problem for a swimming elephant is similar to the Watt-Ahh race boat – both need fuel to keep going.