Sri Lankan Army saves two elephants adrift in the ocean

The Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday rescued two apparently distressed elephants off the island’s east coast, a fortnight after personnel mounted a similar operation to save an elephant in the region. Divers used ropes and naval boats to tow the two young elephants back to the shore, Navy sources said.

Images of the rescue efforts shared by the Navy showed the two elephants keeping their trunks above water as they tried to stay afloat. All through the operation the elephants stayed beside each other in the ocean.

Affected by drought

“It appears that the elephants in that region have been affected badly by the prolonged drought being experienced in the north and east. They maybe wandering in search of water,” navy spokesman Chaminda Walakuluge told The Hindu on Monday. Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority north and east have been hit by a drought for nearly a year, severely impacting the livelihoods of farmers in the region. Animals too have possibly been affected, authorities said.

According to government estimates, Sri Lanka has over 7,000 elephants in the wild, with thousands in the forest areas adjoining the island's North Central and Eastern Provinces.