The Sea World Foundation rescue team has completed a gruelling two-day rescue to save a whale.
The humpback which was heavily entangled in thick rope and towing buoys was first sighted on June 13 off Burrewarra Point, between Batemans Bay and Broulee on the NSW Far South Coast, with authorities awaiting further sightings to attempt a rescue.
After a sighting late last week, the team eventually caught up with the entangled whale off the coast of Northern NSW, where they deployed a satellite tag to track it.
“With a sighting reported off Sandon Beach mid-morning on Thursday (June 20), the rescue team loaded up our vessel and drove two-and-half hours to search for the whale off the coast at Yamba, where the whale was predicted to be based on swim speed calculations,” A Sea World Foundation rescue team spokesperson said.
“With only an hour of daylight left on the water, the team began their search and found the entangled whale five miles east of Angourie, off the coast of Yamba.”
On Friday (June 21), crews located the whale two miles off the coast of Evans Head.
After three hours, they managed to free it, allowing the whale to continue on its northern migration with a companion animal.
“Whale rescue operations are extremely dangerous and should only be undertaken by trained professionals,” A Sea World Foundation rescue team spokesperson said.
“We encourage anyone who may come across a whale in distress to call our dedicated team who are on standby to assist any animal in need and can be contacted are on 07 5588 2222 (9am – 5pm) or 06 5588 2177 (after hours).”
Image and Video: Sea World Foundation
