Elephant wading near beach in Florida has onlookers stunned

Ahh, Florida. It doesn’t get much better than strolling down the beach on a hot day, toes in the sand, watching an elephant wade in the water.

Wait a minute — an elephant?!

Yes. An elephant. Spotted in the water at Redington Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast, an elephant was seen knee-deep wading in the water as onlookers watched, amazed.

Todd Unbehagen and his family were visiting Redington Beach for a day of ‘fun in the sun,’ when he noticed the giant mammal and decided to bust out his camera. He filmed the random elephant doing its thing in the water as beach goers watched, puzzled as to where it came from. After all, it’s not everyday you see a giant elephant just hanging out at the beach!

The video quickly went viral over the weekend with many scratching their heads as to how the elephant got there in the first place.

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So where did this gentle giant come from?

According to The St. Petersburg Tribune, the elephant was part of an elaborate 60^th birthday party for beach resident Claudia McCorkle, who had rented the elephant from Orlando-area party rental provider Xtreme Entertainment. Apparently, McCorkle had written a letter to the Redington Beach Town Commission in January asking if having the elephant in attendance would be okay.

“For the most part, the animal would merely be hanging out right outside my home by the seawall, with some adventurous guests riding her strictly on my ‘riparian rights-deeded area’ directly behind the house,” McCorkle wrote in her letter. Clearly, she didn’t include the part where Dumbo would take a little stroll down the beach by himself and take a quick dip in the water.

According to Xtreme Entertainment, the elephant comes from a “reputable elephant owner and is approved by the USDA and Florida Fish and Wildlife”. The cost for renting this giant party favor? $5,000.

If McCorkle’s got the money to be blowing on this giant elephant for her birthday party, she perhaps should have dished out a little more on security to monitor the giant animal as well.

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