Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Sri Lanka navy rescues two elephants washed out to sea

COLOMBO — Two young elephants washed out to sea were saved from drowning Sunday by the Sri Lankan navy in the second such incident off the island in as many weeks.

Sri Lankan naval personnel help guide elephants that were spotted struggling to stay afloat in deep water back to shore a kilometre off the island's northeast coast. Two young elephants washed out to sea were saved from drowning July 23 by the Sri Lankan navy in the second such incident off the island in as many weeks. Photo: AFP

Sri Lankan naval personnel help guide elephants that were spotted struggling to stay afloat in deep water back to shore a kilometre off the island's northeast coast. Two young elephants washed out to sea were saved from drowning July 23 by the Sri Lankan navy in the second such incident off the island in as many weeks. Photo: AFP

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

COLOMBO — Two young elephants washed out to sea were saved from drowning Sunday by the Sri Lankan navy in the second such incident off the island in as many 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 one km off the coast of Sri Lanka.

“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.”

Two weeks ago, the navy mounted a similar operation in the same region to save a lone elephant washed eight km off the Sri Lankan coast into the deep waters of the Indian Ocean.

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. AFP

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.