Beached Bryde’s whale rescued (South Africa)

Wilderness residents were determined on Thursday evening to return this young Bryde’s whale to the ocean. She tried to breach herself again, but eventually got behind the breakers and returned to the big blue.

Thursday, 24 October 2013. GEORGE NEWS – In a huge rescue effort, a 3,5m beached Bryde’s whale calf (Ndlr Sibylline : this whale is unweaned) was returned to sea by a group of Wilderness residents using shovels and towels on Thursday evening at Leentjiesklip, Wilderness beach.

They were joined at 19:00 by the NSRI’s Wilderness volunteer sea rescue duty crew and Eden District Municipality’s Vernon Gibbs-Hall and his husband, Tony.

Vernon recounts the touching scene. “It was a young Bryde’s whale about four weeks old. Everyone helped by digging, placing towels underneath and literally dragged the baby back. She tried to breach herself again, but eventually got behind the breakers and was off.”

NSRI Spokesperson Torsten Henschel said, “Our NSRI Wilderness volunteer sea rescue duty crew responded with a sea rescue vehicle and our quad bike. On arrival on the scene we found a lot of members of the public were in the process of assisting a baby whale, which was firmly beached, back into the water. NSRI volunteers assisted the members of the public, but most of the work had already been done by the public members and the whale, appearing to be healthy and strong, swam off flapping its fins.

“We remained on the scene for a further hour and a half to keep a look out in case the whale re-beached and while no further sign of the whale has been observed we left.

Wild News photographer Jacques Pratt who took photographs of the rescue said a watch was kept throughout the weekend. “Everybody is cautiously optimistic that the whale has been saved.”

@Stranded No More

Source