Floating elephants, such as sixty Rajan, were once common phenomenon in the Andaman Islands, south of India, but today this giant elephant weighing five tons – the last of its kind. Now he was replaced by boats – and Rajan no longer need to swim for miles, separating the island from one another. Rajan is still committed to swim for 10 minutes twice a day under the supervision of his pursuer, whom they call mahout. He overcomes a distance of 500 yards during that time, and then returned to shore. The Brazilian photographer Daniel Botelho thirty, went to the Andaman Islands, located in the Indian Ocean, having heard stories about what the locals make a swim with elephants. Local residents use the elephants for about the same as we use horses, says Daniel. When you need something to build on another island, for example, he forced the elephants to swim from island to island. Elephants are constantly trained mahout. But now, the last decade, this craft is gradually fading, because no one considers it cost-effective, says the photographer.
