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Crews Rescue 60-Ton Magnificent Sperm Whale Beached for Almost 21 Hours

A panoramic view of a stranded sperm whale

Rescue crews came to rescue a beached sperm whale that was stranded for nearly 21 hours near the port city, Xianjiang in China’s Zhejiang province.

Source: South China Morning Post/Youtube

The local media reported that a fisherman found the stranded 19-meter sperm whale and called authorities. Footage shows the authorities attempting to rescue the magnificent whale and their eventual success in returning it to the ocean. The massive creature was estimated to weigh 60 tonnes or 132,227 pounds. Rescuers can be seen in footage throwing water on the whale to keep it from getting dehydrated.

Five ships helped out and were able to drag the whale back to the sea as the tide rose this Tuesday evening. The whale was officially rescued early on Wednesday morning.

Although there is no determined cause for these whale strandings, experts think that the whales often become beached because of shallow seabeds. These can interfere with the sonar navigation that whales use to communicate. When the sounds bounce on shallow seabeds, it can cause the whales to become confused. Beachings have also been linked to seismic testing, which can cause confusion and disorientation amongst marine animals. Sign this petition to stop seismic testing and sign this petition to help save beached whales!

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