If you are a lover of whales, then you are likely well-aware of the fact that, once one of these mighty beasts gets beached, things usually don’t end up faring too well for the creature. Luckily, there are people out there who make it their missions to keep these mammals alive—even when they are in the direst of situations.

Case in point: A ragtag group of whale experts in British Columbia who did everything they could to keep a female orca from succumbing to a horrible fate.

Back in 2015, workers with the World Wildlife Federation were conducting research when they got a frantic call from the local Cetacea Lab, saying that a killer whale was literally stuck on a grouping of rocks. The tide was getting lower by the minute, making her chance of survival impossible unless they stepped in to save her.

News cameras were able to get aerial footage of the dramatic rescue efforts, which (spoiler alert!) ended up saving the whale’s life. How amazing is that?!

 

How this whale was saved

Huffington Post Canada was able to snag the inside scoop about just how these intrepid rescuers were able to keep the stranded orca alive for so many hours.

When workers with the World Wildlife Federation and the Cetacea Lab first discovered the distressed whale, they knew that keeping her “cool, covered in water, and calm” was absolutely imperative to both her survival, as well as those in her pod.

You see, these mammals are as loyal as they are majestic, so when this particular whale became beached on the rocks, her community refused to leave the area. Since the temperature was beginning to warm up, this could have meant that the rest of the pod would be exposing itself to unhealthy conditions. Talk about pressure!

Once the quick-thinking crew knew what they were dealing with, they jumped into action and began the long process of keeping this orca alive.

Because this group of marine mammal experts obviously wasn’t going to be able to simply release the 3-ton whale back into the water below the rocks, they knew that she wouldn’t be able to get herself back into the ocean until high tide hit.

So, they did what they could to keep her healthy—they draped soaking wet towels on her skin so that she wouldn’t overheat, and even fashioned a water pump to ensure that there was a constant flow of water getting to her at all times.

Once all of the survival tools were in place, the team spent the next 8 hours keeping her alive, until the tide started to rise towards the end of the day. One of the rescuers wrote that, when the water finally reached her, they let “nature take its course.” From there, the whale spent “a tense 40 minutes” before she was finally able to free herself.

Thank heavens for caring animal experts like these guys! To see the harrowing rescue for yourself, be sure to watch the video below. It’s touching to watch a group of people get together to help animals in need. We are sure that the orca really appreciated it!

What do you think of this orca rescue? Have you ever seen something similar in real life? Do you work as an animal rescuer?