Kindhearted people kept a stranded killer whale wet by pouring water on the animal until it was able to free itself.
The life-saving operation occurred after the killer whale got stranded on the coast of Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, on Thursday, The New York Post reports.
Lovely people helping. pic.twitter.com/N02eQQY2eb
— Tara Neilson (@neilson_tara) July 29, 2021
According to The Anchorage Daily News, the 20-foot orca, that was also injured, was discovered thanks to the calls these magnificent animals are known for. Luckily, a ship was passing near the coast, and the moment the crew heard the struggling whale, they rushed to help.
While the ship crew pumped water onto the animal, bystanders on foot and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) also joined in to help save its life.
Thankfully, the whale was eventually able to float away when the tide came up later that day.
NOAA spokeswoman Julie Speegle commented:
“Our officer and troopers report the whale was a bit slow at first, and meandered around a little before swimming away.”
As per KTUU, the ship M/V Steadfast first reported the whale about 4-5 feet above the tide line. The crew then used a seawater pump to keep the stranded mammal wet so it could survive.
What’s more, people on foot also jumped in to help. In a now-viral photo, several people can be seen throwing buckets of water onto the whale.
Tara Neilson, who posted the image on Twitter, wrote:
“My niece Aroon is up here and found this stranded orca several miles from here. In all the years I’ve lived here I’ve never heard or seen anything like this. I have to wonder if the 8.2 earthquake was to blame. NOAA is on its way to try to save it.”
My niece Aroon is up here and found this stranded orca several miles from here. In all the years I've lived here I've never heard or seen anything like this. I have to wonder if the 8.2 #Earthquake was to blame. NOAA is on its way to try to save it. #offgrid #Alaska pic.twitter.com/m6GO1q8Vg1
— Tara Neilson (@neilson_tara) July 29, 2021
Despite Neilson’s speculation that the killer whale may have had been thrown on the coast during the Wednesday earthquake, there was no evidence the incidents were linked, as per NOAA’s spokeswoman.
As KRBD reveals, the orca was eventually identified as T146D – a whale that has been under observation and is estimated to be 13 years old.
