Early on Friday morning, the 13.5-meter long fin whale had been discovered on the River Dee Estuary off Greenfield, Wales. The young animal was alive but unable to move as the tide had gone out.
A team from the British Divers Marine Rescue, as well as local cocklers, were not able to rescue the animal from its current position due to its sheer size and weight. Therefore, waiting for the tide to come back in while keeping the whale as comfortable as possible remained the only solution. Initially, the team had not been optimistic about the situation. Tough the fin whale was in good bodily condition, it was still a calf and no other animal – ie. the mother – had been seen in the vicinity. Plus, the River was not a common area for fin whales to be found in, which further decreased hope. With every passing hour, it was less likely that the baby fin whale would survive.
Against those assumptions, it did make it through until the tide started to come in. By the time it was floating, it began swimming strongly and, with the high tide, eventually started swimming out to sea all by itself. Later evaluation of size and body condition also revealed that it was most likely old enough to be weaned and independent of its mother, allowing the solitary animal to survive on its own.
The British Divers Marine Rescue said that “now that the whale is free swimming, the chances of survival are good.” Still, it was further monitored from a distance to make sure it did not beach again until it found its way back to sea safely.
The report with videos and constant tracking can be found here: https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/live-30ft-whale-stranded-river-18409790
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