Humpback whale rescued after dramatic community effort in Mexico’s La Paz Bay

Juvenile mammal, measuring 30 feet, had become stranded on a shoal


Juvenile humpback whale struggles on a shoal while rescuers attempt to pull it into deep water with a rope. Mammal ultimately was freed. Credit for images: Octavo Dia/Reporteros Sin Fronteras

Residents and tourists in the Mexican city of La Paz are taking it as a positive sign that a humpback whale rescued Sunday after becoming stranded on a shoal at low tide has not been seen since its dramatic ordeal.

The accompanying Spanish-language video shows portions of the rescue effort, and a 30-foot whale that’s clearly in dire straits as it struggles on the shoal. The effort lasted two-plus hours and the cameraman stopped filming before the whale finally was freed amid cheers from people on shore and in the water.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf-w2CspEZ4

Octavo Dia reported that the whale was ultimately pulled free of the shoal with the use of ropes and added, “The effort followed the protocol for marine mammal rescue. The struggle to save the whale lasted over two hours, but the successful results incited elated uproar in the concerned witnesses.”

The juvenile humpback had become stranded beyond El Coromuel Beach during low tide, when the shoal had become partially exposed. El Coromuel is north of La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur. The whale entered La Paz Bay via the Sea of Cortez.



Biologist Francisco Gomez says in the video that humpback whales are migrating north to Alaskan waters and that younger whales, especially if they’re sick, will sometimes swim to closely to shore and become stranded.

“Nothing seemed to be working as the whale was exhausted,” Gomez says. “In the end, the whale made it into deeper waters and was liberated.

Jonathan Roldan, who runs the Tailhunter International sportfishing business in La Paz, posted this Monday on its Facebook page:

“Hope you got to see this yesterday. It was incredible. About 30 pangas (skiffs) and launches out there trying to help this stranded whale right off the beach on one of the shoals. Folks were lined up in the streets with cameras and binoculars.”

Roldan said Tuesday afternoon that as far as he knew, the whale has not been seen. The hope is that it made it safely back into the Sea of Cortez. Roldan was interviewed about the encounter Tuesday by Phil Friedman Outdoors.

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For Naija, that whale will be killed and cooked.

I trust my naija guys.

The question of whether a group of people are able to do right is highly diabolical and frowned upon.

What do you expect? in my beloved country Nigeria, seeing a creature like that, is an oppoturnity to make money and feed your family, thats what poverty do to you.

lol ogugua is still vexed about the nigerian whale that was butchered when it wash ashore earlier this year.

i don't blame you sis.

+1 million 4 mexico.

that's sweet of them.
now if only they would could save their citizens..

I don't tink so, de one wey mistakinly com naija de oda time sef knw wetin im eye see, I don't see dat happening here.

is killing sea creature like whale is abomination?

No black man in africa will save raw food when they are all starving. .

balingat: is killing sea creature like whale is abomination?

Whales are on the brink of extinction because too many whales are being killed. Extinction is forever. The biggest threat to this species is and always has been humans.

Somebody is here asking a stupid Question "Will Nigerian ever do this ?" But i never heard you lot criticize those nations that have been whaling for more than 5 decades now, it is only when it comes to Nigerian that the African man sees evil in something, when white people do it it is seen as a norm, they Africans will even give you a reason to justify that.
Is it not people that has been killing those whales to the point of extinction and are they still not doing now ? where came the question will Nigerians do it ? how many whale meat have you ever eaten since you were born ?