In a dramatic and intensive nearly 24-hour rescue operation in Sydney Harbor, a young humpback whale was freed from fishing tackle that had ensnared its tail. The juvenile whale, upon being liberated from the ropes late Friday morning, promptly began swimming towards the Sydney Heads and the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, as reported by Macquarie University whale expert, Vanessa Pirotta.
The stranded whale was initially spotted by a whale-watching cruise ship at around 1 p.m. Thursday. What followed was a meticulous rescue mission involving boats, helicopters, and drones, which commenced Thursday afternoon and resumed at dawn on Friday.
Pirotta noted that the whale might have become entangled well before Thursday. The strain of the ordeal was evident; the whale’s weary breathing indicated severe fatigue before it regained its freedom. “Is the whale OK? I hope, I don’t really know. The reality is this animal has been through a huge ordeal,” Pirotta expressed to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. She highlighted the severe stress of being trapped in fishing gear, compounded by the hustle and bustle of boats and drones in Sydney Harbor, one of the busiest harbors in the world.
Jessica Fox, representing the volunteer Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia, elaborated on the rescue techniques. The crew attached buoys to the tangled ropes to slow the whale’s movements, which eventually enabled them to stabilize the mammal and cut away the offending ropes. “The whale has been going in circles in Sydney Harbor, making some erratic directional changes,” Fox described in a video shared on social media before the whale was freed. She underlined the complexity and difficulty involved in such an operation.
The reasons for the whale’s decision to remain in the harbor, instead of heading towards the open ocean despite its entangled tail, remain unclear. However, Pirotta mentioned that the whale’s presence in the harbor significantly aided the rescuers’ efforts.
As a juvenile, the humpback whale is estimated to be up to four years old, though its gender is unknown.
