World's Only Swimming Bull Elephant

Rajan, the world's last and only ocean swimming elephant, is edging a step closer to a well-earned retirement. Celebrated the world over, the three-ton bull elephant has almost reached the £37,000 target his owners need to pay back the loan they took out to buy his freedom.

That was three years ago, and in the years since, Rajan, 61, has entertained and stunned photographers all willing to pay for the privilege of spending time with the world's last swimming elephant. Rajan and his dedicated mahout, 59-year-old Nazrool, are looking forward to quiet days walking in the jungle on Havelock Island, or swimming in the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean.

'When swimming with Rajan you are almost certain he is aware he is being photographed,' said Jody MacDonald, who spent over a week with Rajan on Havelock Island, which is part of the Andaman and Nicobar Island chain.

'He never swims unless he wants to, so it is a pleasure to be in the water with him at the same time.

'There is a fee to witness this, but this is because his owners at Barefoot India literally rescued him from being sent back to the Indian mainland to work in 2008 by taking out a loan to buy him.

'To help repay that, photographers who want to witness the incredible spectacle of an ocean swimming elephant have had to pay.'

Miss MacDonald continued: 'I spent two separate times in the water with Rajan.

'He is like a dog paddling when he swims and I do think he is swimming for the cameras.

'His mahout swims along side him and never loses track of him. They are almost inseparable.'

Rajan used to be employed logging trees on Havelock Island and had to push logs out to sea for them to be loaded on to boats.

'You would think an elephant would not like the salt in their eyes from the sea, but Rajan is ok with that after all his life swimming in the sea,' Miss MacDonald added.

'He uses his trunk as a snorkel. I never felt that I was in danger with him.

'It was a privilege to swim in the sea with him and to spend days with him on the beach front and in the jungle.'

source : kompas.com