Over three hundred people are celebrating after a mammoth effort to save the life of a stranded humpback baby whale, that got stuck on a Rio de Janeiro beach, ended successfully with the creature being released into the ocean in the late afternoon.
Hundreds of people gathered on a Rio beach this week to rescue a beached humpback whale calf from certain. The 32-foot baby, estimated to weigh more than seven tons, found itself unable to escape the shallow waters when the tide began rushing out to sea.
Late Wednesday afternoon, the whale was stranded at the world-famous Praia da Marina beach in Búzios, Brazil. Dozens of people spent the night digging a channel to the ocean with shovels, while others doused the gigantic mammal with seawater to keep its skin from drying out.
At first, rescuers thought the animal wasn’t going to survive after it managed to move with great effort and the help of rescuers deeper into the sea. Then suddenly it sprang to life and started to swim and splash its tail.
Dozens of those who fought to save the mammal were in the water as they clapped and cheered at the successful rescue.
Rescuers said the creature, which was in shock, had been moaning, screaming, and crying from pain and fright as they tried to mount the organized effort.
According to experts, the puppy may have got lost from the group it was traveling with when crossing the Rio coast bound for Antarctica. The migration usually takes place at this time of year.
Biologist Marcelo Rodrigues Tardelli told G1: ‘The animal does not have any scars or marks indicating it’s had a collision with a vessel.
The following day, a nearby marina dispatched one of their backhoe excavators to help complete the channel for the whale once high tide returned.
During low tide, Good Samaritans formed a human assembly line from the water’s edge to the whale with buckets to ensure it stayed wet.
A few hours later, hundreds of people gathered on the popular beach to watch and cheer on rescuers.
The tide finally returned and good samaritans gave one final push to save the giant animal from a slow and painful death.
With the help of the excavator, rescuers were able to put the whale in a giant sling and hoist the animal back into deeper waters. The crowd cheered and watched with tears as the majestic creature sprung to life in the ocean.
As the giant 32-foot sea creature swam away, it seemed to be celebrating and thanking all who had worked tirelessly to save its life.
