Watch The Amazing Rescue Of A Beached Orca

August 28, 2018

A stranded orca has returned to the sea thanks to the efforts of an entire community.

beached orca rescue
Credit: Fundacion Mundo Marino

The orca had become stranded on a beach in Nueva Atlantis, Argentina. Members of the Fundacion Mundo Marino, the Argentine Naval Prefecture and the Civil Defence participated in the extensive 20-hour rescue effort.

Rescuers spent an entire evening on the cold, windy beach keeping the orca's blowhole out of the water to avoid triggering a drowning. They could not lift the orca back into the water without the help of machinary, which did not arrive until the following morning.

"Last night the first thing we did was straighten the animal that was stranded on its side to try to reintroduce it. But only today, with the help of the entire community, we were able to pass a stretcher under the orca, lift it and guide it to the sea," explained Ignacio Peña, one of the technicians of the Mundo Marino Foundation who was present during the rescue.

"It's a mixture of sensations. The panorama was tremendous. She looked so weak and cramped that it seemed impossible to rescue her," said Florencia Speciale, department head of Marine World. "We saw that each time it became more complicated, but we were all very connected. Being in the water with her and seeing her face offshore was incredible."

Watch the amazing rescue below.