Heroic efforts by rescuers helped save a humpback whale caught in ropes and buoys in Sydney Harbour.
The Guardian reported that a tour group spotted the struggling animal in August. Wildlife officials, who estimated the adolescent whale to be 10-15 meters (33-49 feet) in length, couldn't remove the gear before dark.Â
Officers from the Port Authority of New South Wales and NSW Maritime and volunteers from the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia decided to attach flotation devices and a GPS tracker to the whale and resume work the following morning.
Though the tracker detached overnight, crews relocated the mammal a little after sunrise Aug. 24. They trailed the distressed whale for hours, hoping it tired before they tried to set it free.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the whale "moved erratically and often quickly," and "its cries and groans could be heard over the sounds of the wind, boat engines, helicopters and drones."
The rescue team finally had a window of opportunity and freed the whale with a blade attached to the end of a long pole, though it took a couple of attempts.
"The challenge with that whale was the fact it had so much energy, and it took quite a long time for us to tire it out so we could get in and do that cut safely," national park ranger Luke McSweeney told the Morning Herald.
Despite being struck for at least 22 hours, the whale was healthy, injury-free, and strong enough to continue migrating southward, McSweeney said. It was one of the lucky ones, as the International Whaling Commission estimates that entanglement kills 300,000 whales and dolphins annually.
But just as human activity can endanger animals, human intervention can also help preserve and protect species. Response teams from South Africa to Boston have saved whales from discarded fishing equipment.
"It's obviously a very complicated operation," NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service area manager Ben Khan said in a news conference. "... The entanglement was around its tail. … It's quite a simple entanglement, but it was a very active animal. So it had to be done very carefully this morning."
"Once it was cut free, it took off free swimming, and looked fantastic," he added.
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