ANIMALS

65-Foot Whale Rescued and Returned to the Ocean After 20 Hours of Being Stranded

After 20 hours of continuous rescue operation, a massive 65ft whale was successfully towed back into the ocean from a beach in China.

Initially sighted on Tuesday morning on a beach in Ningbo, located south of Shanghai, the massive mammal was initially mistaken for an orca. The urgency was paramount, as without prompt action, the magnificent creature’s chances of survival were quickly dwindling.

According to Bruce Mate, professor emeritus of fisheries, wildlife, and conservation at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, the rescue of stranded sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) poses significant challenges, and despite intervention, these majestic creatures do not always manage to survive.

Mate told Live Science, “Good on them for making a noble effort in trying to get this animal back to sea, but the odds are quite difficult”.

Despite sharing the need for oxygen with land mammals, whales depend on water to regulate their body temperature and prevent overheating. Moreover, when whales become stranded on beaches, there is a risk of drowning if the rising tide fills the cavity they are in or if the weight of their own bodies causes the ground to give way.

The rescue operation persisted for nearly a full day.

Image source: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Upon discovery along the Xiangshan County shoreline in Ningbo, the whale was reported to be in a critical condition. Firefighters swiftly responded by dispatching a rescue team, who diligently showered the 20-meter-long creature with water and created a makeshift seawater pool in a carefully excavated trench, all in an effort to sustain its life.

Rescuers ingeniously built a trench pool, brimming with replenishing seawater, to ensure the whale’s survival.

Image source: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Ensuring the whale’s survival and rescue proved to be no easy task for the dedicated volunteers, as the sheer magnitude of its estimated 10-ton weight rendered traditional methods such as dragging it to sea or towing it away with a boat impossible.

Ultimately, the resourceful volunteers resorted to excavating a tunnel around the whale’s body, allowing it to be filled with seawater while they brainstormed a viable solution. Diligently, they poured water into the trench, ensuring the whale remained hydrated throughout the arduous process.

When whales become stranded on shore, they face the peril of dehydration or succumbing to their own immense weight.

Image source: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Subsequently, the team securely fastened guide ropes around the whale and skillfully towed it towards shallow waters. Hours later, around 10 pm, as the tide finally reached a sufficient height, the relentless rescuers harnessed the power of five boats to diligently maneuver the whale further into the depths of the water. This relentless effort, spanning 20 hours of nonstop struggle, was crucial in preserving the magnificent creature’s life.

Around 5:30 am on Wednesday, the dedicated rescue team made the decision to sever the hauling cable, liberating the whale to gracefully swim away into the vastness of the deep waters.

The whale’s weight is estimated to be approximately 10 tons.

In due course, the whale was successfully pulled back into the depths of the sea.

Image source: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Following the gripping rescue operation, the whale gracefully ventured into the distance, propelled by the combined efforts of the boats and the rising tide, as the sun majestically ascended. Show your heartfelt appreciation for the whale’s existence by sharing your thoughts in the comment section below.

ANIMALS

Amazing Video of Unseen Ocean Creatures in the Ningaloo Canyons

The Schmidt Ocean Institute recently explored the Ningaloo Canyons on the western coast of Australia using a robotic underwater vehicle called the ROV Sebastian. Check out the amazing video of what they discovered in the deep parts of the Indian Ocean.

More info: Youtube

ANIMALS

These Pics Are Art and the Artists Are Insects

Flying insects move so quickly that they are hard to follow, but new technology and some smart ideas have helped Spanish photographer Xavi Bou do just that. After spending 10 years focusing on birds in flight for his Ornithographies project, he turned his attention to insects.

For Entomographies, he uses high-speed video footage taken by Adrian Smith, an insect expert at North Carolina State University, to study and record how insects move. Bou then picks multiple frames and combines them into single images that show the fast movements of one or more insects through space and time.

With Smith’s help, Bou has captured the aerial tricks of wasps, the jumps of leafhoppers, and the fluttering of butterflies in amazing detail. He hopes that by doing this, he can make people more aware of the decline in important insect populations around the world.

1. Zebra longwing

This butterfly, which is common in many areas of the Americas, really fits its name. It can fly very high with just a few flaps of its large wings.