An elephant found swimming roughly 10 miles off the northeast coast of Sri Lanka was reportedly rescued Tuesday by the country’s navy.
Authorities for the military branch say the animal was most likely caught in a current while swimming in less precarious waters before being swept into the ocean, according to The Guardian.
“They usually wade through shallow waters or even swim across to take a short cut,” said Chaminda Walakuluge, a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Navy. “It is a miraculous escape for the elephant.”
After spotting the beast, members of the navy and Department of Wildlife officials dragged the animal back by tying ropes it, a process that in total took roughly 12 hours.
According to certain experts, though, it was not such an impressive or surprising revelation.
“They’re very good swimmers,” Avinash Krishnan, a researcher for the conservation organization A Rocha, told The Guardian. “Swimming about 15km from the shore is not unusual for an elephant.” (RELATED: Family Watches In ‘Shock’ As Sea Lion Drags Little Girl Into Water [VIDEO])
Krishnan did add that the navy’s involvement was likely important because elephants can’t swim for too long due to the substantial amount of energy burned through swimming.
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