This is not something you see every day … a beautiful orca was helplessly stranded in a pile of rocks and crying out for help.
Just off of the coast of Hartley Bay, British Columbia, Canada, one man spotted the desperate orca and made a call for help that saved her life. A group of rescuers from WhalePoint, WWF, and The Gitga’at Guardians immediately gathered to help the orca, who had been trapped for hours.
WhalePoint shared what happened on Facebook, along with the following photos:
“Today was one of very high emotions. It started with a call from Eric on the Bangarang that he just spotted a beached orca. The Guardians from Hartley Bay were soon on their was, as were we at Whale Point, with WWF also on board. “
Photo credit: Whale Point / Facebook
“Eric put together a McGaver type water pump, we grabbed as many sheets as we could, and Hermann, Bunker and Nicole, Eric and myself went to shore and approached the whale as quietly as possible.”
Photo credit: Whale Point / Facebook
“It was a team effort, and fortunately on some level this transient orca understood that we were trying to help.”
Photo credit: Whale Point / Facebook
Photo credit: Whale Point / Facebook
“She cried often, which tore at our hearts, but as the tide came up there were many cheers as this whale was finally free after 6+ hours of being stuck on this rock.”
Photo credit: Whale Point / Facebook
“A giant thank you once again to this amazing community that comes together so quickly to protect what is sacred.”
Here is raw video footage of the whale’s rescue. The group says that when she swam away, the orca was quickly reunited with her pod, which was nearby.
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