The whale was entangled in 800 kg of fishing gear in Australia for several days

The situation is getting worse

The cetacean was first spotted a week before it was rescued by helicopter. Officers then realized he was hauling 200 kg of fishing gear. So his movements were limited and swimming was difficult.

Five days later, a recreational vessel was lucky enough to encounter the whale again and report its presence. Authorities in Australia's Gippsland region fitted him with a tracker that later proved very useful.

Technical recovery

A crane and ropes were used to remove all these materials from the cetacean's body. The local maritime authorities were divided into several small groups and divided into several boats. Their aim was to succeed in cutting the 800 kg ropes that crippled the animals.

“The whale was very tightly roped and it didn't travel very far, so we knew it was in real distress.” Police Inspector James Dalton says. Ellen Dwyer, incident controller for the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, said the crew lifted the heavy fishing gear with a crane so the vessel or other animals did not become entangled.

An unusual task

“Normally the police search for missing persons or ships on waterways, so this was a completely different search for us.”, J. Dalton continues.

Cetacean entanglement is commonly used to trap sharks. According to the media, it may have come from an international ship ABC News. After the rescue, the whale swam away, enough to satisfy the rescue team to continue its migration to Australia.

Source: Victoria Police