Elephant frolics in surf in odd place Florida

An elephant was spotted by beachgoers frolicking in the surf in an apparent effort to cool down, which wouldn’t have been that unusual if the sighting were in Africa. But it wasn’t.
Oddly, it was in Florida.
Beachgoers were stunned to see the elephant in the surf at Redington Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast. One of them was accountant and tax advisor Todd Unbehagen, who took a selfie and video that he posted online for the world to see.
He wrote on his Unbehagen Advisors Facebook page:So what was an elephant doing in the surf of a Florida beach?
That was Judy the elephant making an appearance at the 60th birthday party of Claudia McCorkle, who went through City Hall for proper permission. Of course it helps when the mayor, Nick Simons, attends the party.
Tampa Bay Times reported the story about how McCorkle was 5 years old when she turned down the chance to ride an elephant. She had regretted the decision since.
So she paid $4,500 for the trained elephant to be at her party, where she finally got to take a ride, along with about 40 guests.
“I’m sort of effervescent about it,” McCorkle told the Times.
“Elephants are so symbolic. Symbolic of karma and such wonderful qualities as loyalty and love, memory and longevity.”
Judy definitely has longevity. She is 58.
The elephant was imported from Thailand in the 1950s, and she apparently likes the ocean, where she spent about 30 minutes in the water on Saturday, creating quite a stir.

An elephant on a Florida beach? What could possibly be next?