A 20-hour race to rescue stranded whale

By Xinhua Published: Apr 21, 2022 08:05 AM

Aerial photo shows rescuers helping a stranded whale in Xiangshan County of Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 19, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

Rescuers help a stranded whale in Xiangshan County of Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 19, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

A stranded whale swims back into the sea in Xiangshan County of Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 20, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

As the towing bridle was cut away, a stranded whale was finally set free, swimming back to deep waters at around 5 a.m. Wednesday, escorted by rescuers amid the first glow of dawn.

News of the animal's dire situation had been broadcast on Chinese social media on Tuesday morning: "A whale is stranded ashore in the waters of Xiangshan County, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province!" The news was re-posted by an increasing number of concerned netizens.

Located on the coast of the East China Sea, Xiangshan is home to many fishermen, including some older ones who have seen just about everything the sea could throw at them. But even they were amazed by the sight of this "giant whale" measuring 20 meters in length, stretched out on the sandy beach.

According to the preliminary assessment of rescue experts at the scene, the animal was a sperm whale with an estimated weight of over 70 tonnes. The fishery administration staff arrived quickly with the rescue vessel, ready to tow the animal into the deep water. However, initial attempts to move it met with failure.

Wang Liangliang, head of Ningbo Yuren Aquatic Wildlife Rescue Center, led a rescue team, including two veterinarians and three divers, that drove more than 100 km to Xiangshan.

"The whale was not badly injured, because the beach was flat with few stones. So, we simply debrided and disinfected it," Wang said.

By around noon, the tide had gone out and the whale's body was completely exposed on the beach. The sun was not too strong, but the whale was at risk of losing moisture through its skin, and its organs might be damaged due to its own body weight. The whale occasionally wagged its tail at the rescuers, but it was visibly losing energy.

The rescuers decided that, in any case, they should make every effort to save the whale's life. They decided to keep it cool and moisturized in its current position, and wait for the tide to come back in before attempting to move it.

Batches of red buckets were brought to the beach, and rescuers began the work of carefully splashing the stranded animal with sea water. Someone proposed using motorized pumps, but this idea was finally rejected since the mud on the beach could not bear the weight of mechanical equipment.

Throughout the afternoon, rescuers repeated the same actions -- fetching water and splashing it over the whale. They were racing against time, waiting for the tide, and the anxiety was clear on their faces. Journalists on the spot started to broadcast live, and millions of netizens were on the edge of their seats, praying for a good outcome.

"Come on, big fish! You've got to get through this," read one comment below the livestream.

As night fell, the sea water finally began to rise. Rescuers attached a rope to the whale, ready to tow it out once the water was high enough.

"It was gratifying that its health status was gradually improving," said Zhai Hongchang, a senior engineer with the Ministry of Natural Resources and one of the rescue experts at the scene.

At 10 p.m., the tide was high enough to cover the whale's body. Rescuers decided to board the vessel and tow the animal into deep water. The whale was cooperative and swam slowly with the boat. From time to time, it wagged its tail, as if it was expressing gratitude to the people.

The rescuers chose the release site carefully, keen to ensure that the whale did not become beached again.

"The place must be deep enough, far from the shore, and have plenty of room for maneuver," Zhai said, noting that they chose an area 20 nautical miles away from where the whale was beached.

"There are not many successful cases of rescuing stranded giant whales globally," Zhai said.

The engineer was pretty tired at the end of the effort, having missed a night's sleep, but that didn't matter.

"The moment I saw the whale dive, it was all worth it," he said.