VIDEO. 'She was really in distress': 18m whale rescued after being trapped in 800kg of ropes and buoys

La baleine n’est réapparue dans la même zone seulement cinq jours plus tard (illustration). Unsplash – Georg Wolf

A restless whale was rescued on Saturday June 29, 2024 in Australia by local marine authorities. She was tangled in 800 kg of ropes and buoys.

Off the coast of Australia, a humpback whale entangled in 800kg of marine equipment was rescued by local authorities. The whale in difficulty had been seen for the first time a week earlier, before finally being rescued this Saturday, June 29, 2024.

The mammal, approximately 18 meters long, was spotted by a commercial helicopter on June 23, near Loch Sport in the southeast of Australia. But he was lost sight of.

The animal swam with difficulty because it was trapped in a ton of ropes and buoys used by fishermen. "We knew she was really in distress", explained James Dalton, a local police inspector, as quoted by the ;HuffPost.

The whale did not reappear in the same area until five days later. The opportunity for local authorities to place a tracker on the animal to avoid losing it again.

A complicated rescue

Rescue teams had to cut 800kg of fishing equipment to free the cetacean, and use a crane to remove the ropes and buoy, as the rescue team had done. illustrates a video of the Guardian (see below).

A rescue that turned out to be complicated. Indeed, the whale "was struggling a lot", according to Ellen Dwyer, who monitored the progress of the ;operation, relays the British daily. The teams were able to remove 185 meters of rope out of the 200 that trapped the animal. "It is great to have been able to lead complete this mission by bringing the entire team back safely", estimates Ellen Dwyer.

"PTo cut the ropes safely, we had to come back the next day to make sure we had successfully removed enough rope for the ;animal can swim freely again. It was a huge team effort and we are very happy that it resulted in a positive outcome", says James Dalton.