What a mind-blowing experience!
This is one of those stories that warm our hearts and remind us what life is all about, and that’s helping others and coexisting in harmony with every living creature we share the Earth with.
While they were sailing the open sea, Michael Fishback, the co-founder of The Great Whale conservatory, and his family and crew stumbled upon a heartbreaking sight. What was supposed to be a nice and calm afternoon spent in laughter, turned into an amazing rescue story none of us will ever forget.
The boaters noticed an animal floating alongside their boat, and when they took a closer look they realized it was a huge humpback whale. It was obvious something was terribly wrong because the whale could barely move. Parts of its body were stuck in fisherman nets, and everyone assumed the mammal was dead.
But just as they moved forward, the whale rolled and exhaled loudly through its blowhole. Michael and his team were overjoyed and knew they had to do everything in their power to help the whale get rid of the nets that were trapping its body.
Although we know whales are lovely creatures that mean no harm, saving an animal in need can be dangerous because they are sometimes unaware that people are there to offer help and not harm them. They knew they had to act fast because the whale was floating 15 feet below the surface of the water and was not able to breathe.
Their plan was to cut through the nets but is was way too difficult because they only had one small knife. But, none of them was about to let go of the animal. They were determined to help so as one person was trying to take the net off the whale, the others made sure it stood calm.
Once they freed one of its fins, the whale felt relieved and started swimming, but it pulled the entire team with it for over half a mile before it got exhausted and had to stop. That’s when the crew cut the rest of the net and freed the mammal entirely.
Everyone was very happy for the job well done. It was a successful rescue mission everyone was proud of. They named the whale Valentina. She was finally free to dive into the deep blue sea, but not before she said ‘thank you’ in a very unique way.
Before she swam away for good, Valentina performed a series of maneuvers to show her appreciation and she spent almost an hour playing with Michael and his team. it was something amazing, an act we don’t get to see every day.
Below is the video of the amazing rescue.
Please share this with your friends to rise awareness of the harm we make to animals with the fishing nets and all the plastic we throw into the sea and the oceans.
