Vodka Saves Elephants From Death In Siberian Frost

Who knew alcohol could save lives?

Two elephants from a Russian circus were given vodka to prevent dying in the Siberian frost, officials said.

Emergency ministry spokesman Alexander Davydov said Friday that the tusked mammoths, aged 45 and 48, took some vodka diluted in warm water to the head after being forced out of a trailer that caught fire Thursday.

The 10 liters of alcohol were given by trainer Leonid Labo to keep them warm before another truck arrived to deliver them to a warm gym at a local community college, the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily. A veterinarian said later that only the tips of their ears were frostbitten.

Novosibisk zoo director Rostislav Shilo told the daily that the vodka kept the animals from catching frostbite and pneumonia, without harming or even intoxicating them.