A complex rescue operation unfolded off the coast of Australia after a humpback whale was found tethered to the sea floor.
The incident took place near Geraldton — located about 260 miles north of Perth — on June 17, according to a news release from Parks and Wildlife Service, Western Australia.
“At about 8:30 in the morning, Parks and Wildlife received a call from a local fisherman regarding a whale that was entangled in a rope about three nautical miles southwest of Geraldton,” Steve Moore, a senior operations officer, said in a video accompanying the release.
Upon hearing the news, a team of three rescuers traveled to the area in a small boat.
Once they arrived, they noticed the whale — which measured about 23 feet — was tangled in a rope, which was stuck to the ocean floor, rendering the creature motionless.
“It was in distress and quite exhausted,” Moore said in the video.
In addition, another whale, a juvenile, was swimming around the area, “which complicated things a little bit because it was very protective,” Moore said.
Eventually, the rescuers were able to cut the rope free, and both whales swam away together.
Since the freed marine mammal was so fatigued, the team stayed on site for about 30 minutes in order to ensure it remained in stable condition.
“Hopefully we think it will be OK,” Moore said in the video, adding “It’s a very rewarding feeling when you finally make that final cut and see the whale go free.”
Humpback whales, which are found throughout all the Earth’s oceans, are regularly threatened by entanglements — as well as vessel strikes and ocean noise, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Every year, an estimated 300,000 cetaceans — which include whales and dolphins — die as a result of entanglements with fishing gear and bycatch, according to the International Whaling Commission.
