Recently, while flying their drone near Forresters Beach on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, a beachgoer captured footage they never expected.
In the video, a humpback whale could be seen swimming through the waves. But something was wrong
— there were dangerous discarded fishing materials wrapped around his tail.
The Good Samaritan quickly contacted ORRCA Australia. Experts began collecting new photos and sighting information, tracking the whale’s movements from afar and providing operational intelligence to other rescue groups. Meanwhile, officials from Marine Rescue NSW set out on boats to maintain visual contact with the whale and give updates.
Though the whale was entangled, he remained mobile, making it especially difficult to track his movements. Once located and assessed for injuries, the NSW National Parks Large Whale Disentanglement Team began the specialized process of removing the ropes from the animal’s body. Within hours of the initial report, the whale was free.
“[It was] an outstanding result and a testament to the value of rapid reporting and strong interagency coordination,” ORRCA Australia wrote in a Facebook post.
Rescuers watched in awe as the whale swam away through his ocean home.
“Seeing a whale resume its migration after a successful disentanglement is always an incredibly rewarding moment for everyone involved,” ORRCA Australia president Ashley Ryan told The Dodo.
Ryan hopes this story encourages community members to do the right thing when it comes to helping wild animals.
“We encourage everyone to remain vigilant during the migration season and report any whale that appears to be entangled or behaving unusually,” Ryan said. “We'd also remind people never to attempt to free an entangled whale themselves. These are powerful wild animals, and disentanglement requires specialist training, equipment and authorization.”
If everyone does their part, whales like this one will never have to worry — they’ll always get the help they need to enjoy life in the wild.
