Life at sea can be monotonous for many, with days spent sitting on the water, seeing the same sights and hearing the same sounds. However, for the members of Sri Lanka’s naval team, there are moments when the unexpected happens.
The primary duty of the Sri Lanka naval team is to ensure the safety of the waters. They patrol the seas, looking out for people in distress or those causing trouble for others.
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One day, while the naval team was aboard a ship about 10 miles off the coast, they noticed something peculiar in the water. It was deep and cold, leading them to assume it was an object that had fallen overboard. As they got closer, they were astonished by what they saw: an elephant.
The naval officers initially couldn’t believe their eyes, as they had never seen an elephant in the water before. Whales and sharks, yes, but elephants, no. It was indeed a bizarre discovery.
The team believed that the elephant had been trying to cross a lagoon when the water began to rush in, sweeping the elephant out to sea. Fortunately, elephants are good swimmers due to their large buoyant bodies and long trunks that act as snorkels.
Despite being a capable swimmer, the elephant was getting tired, and the naval crew could tell he was becoming distressed. They knew they had to act quickly.
Realizing the elephant’s massive size made it impossible to pull on board any of the ships, they called for assistance. They named the elephant ‘Jumbo’ and knew he needed help urgently.
Additional ships and wildlife department experts were called in. Together, they devised a plan to tow Jumbo back to shallower waters, a slow and painstaking process due to his size.
The rescue team worked tirelessly, towing Jumbo all day long. He did his best to keep his trunk above water to breathe, but he was visibly fatigued. They couldn’t give up.
As night fell, the rescue continued. Eventually, after a long and arduous effort, they managed to get Jumbo to safety, close enough to the lagoon and shallow waters for him to walk the rest of the way.
The naval team considered themselves fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to save Jumbo. Thanks to their efforts, this incredible elephant made it safely to shore, a truly unimaginable encounter at sea.
Local news? I wasn’t aware Birmingham was in Ari Lanka.