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Updated August 7th, 2021 at 06:18 IST

Boaters rescue whale in Alaska; video shared on social media gets praises from netizens

The video of a stranded killer whale being helped by a group of samaritans has created a buzz on the internet. After hours of struggle, the orca was rescued.

Reported by: Piyushi Sharma
Alaska, Whale, Killer whale, orca
(Image Credits: @AROONMELANE - INSTAGRAM) | Image:self
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There are times when animals come to the aid of humans, and there are times when they need some human intervention to be rescued. In a heartwarming story of one such rescue, a beached orca was helped to safety by a group of boaters from a rocky Alaskan shore.  

The whale, stranded at the shore after a high tide was struggling and would not have made it out if not for the group of good samaritans and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  

Video shared on Instagram captures rescue 

The 13-year-old whale had landed on the shore of the beach due to a high tide. A group of locals, who were sailing on their boat, noticed the animal's plight. Danie Jay, Jen Tee, and Aroon Duncanson wasted no time and informed the NOAA about the situation.

The NOAA responded by giving them tips to keep the orca safe and alive until they got there. Duncanson shared a video of the incident on her Instagram account.

Duncanson said that she and two of her friends were on a trip when they noticed the whale. The video shows people helping to keep the orca wet and alive. Initially, people can be seen dousing it with buckets of water. Later, they use a water pipe to directly pump water out of the sea.

Netizens react, heap praises on rescuers  

Duncanson also shared a clip of the entire rescue operation on Instagram. Her post detailed the rescue. She wrote, “We heard there was a beached Orca, so we went out to find it. NOAA gave permission to help keep it wet and safe from animals until they arrived. So, we set up a water pump and used buckets to keep her wet until NOAA arrived. She was stuck for hours until the tide came in (sic)”.

Duncanson also mentioned in the post's caption about a tremor that had hit the region a day before the incident. She wrote, “There was an earthquake earlier that day, far away, that they say may have caused a change in the tides. But we also saw some seals around the island where she was beached, so she could’ve been hunting and got stuck”.

In keeping the orca safe, the group received help from Chance Strickland, the captain of a private yacht. Strickland had reportedly heard the orca calling out to killer whales swimming in the area.

After hours of struggle, the orca finally managed to return to the water as the tide set in. The rescuers named her Cassandra. The clip was shared on August 1 and has, since then, gone viral. People have been flooding the comments section with reactions, most praising the group for their efforts in helping the orca survive and enter the ocean safe. 

Orca

(IMAGE: @AROONMELANE - INSTAGRAM)

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Published August 7th, 2021 at 06:18 IST

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