Stranded Whale Cries for Help Because of Deadly Sun Rays, Gets Saved with Blankets

On the secluded coast of British Columbia, Canada, a young female orca made a rookie hunt mistake: she went too close to the shore as the tide came down and got lodged in a bed of sharp rocks and barnacles. People passing by quickly heard the cries of the scared and panicked killer whale that had no way of getting back to her family and came to her rescue as best they could.

One of the sailboats involved in the operation reached out over their radio to anyone that could help and George Fisher, overhearing the call for aid, gathered a group of good samaritans to come and help. They now had a solid crew to spend what would become 8 hours of constantly dousing the stranded orca with water and wet blankets to keep her away from the sun rays that were slowly drying out the sea creature.

via The National

“They did everything right!” said UBC Marine Biologist Andrew Trites when it came to the rescue effort. “One might think you could’ve tied something to the tail and pull it off, but the reality of it is the whale is on rocks full of barnacles that would’ve ripped the whale apart. All you can do is keep it calm, keep it wet, because the biggest threat to a killer whale on a hot sunny day is getting dried out.”

The end of the traumatic 8 hour operation came through when the tide finally set back in, allowing the orca to come back afloat in her home environment. As she finally made it back to her pod that had been waiting off the shore to see if she would survive, her rescuers were left with a sense of accomplishment and the credit of having saved a life that day.

via The National

The team handling her safety was able to catch it all on camera, and when she finally makes it out, it is truly an awe inspiring moment. Watch below as The National reports on the whole operation and its success: