Humpback whale rescued after becoming stranded on Australian beach

This is the moment a nine-meter humpback whale was rescued after becoming stranded on a beach in Australia.The 10-tonne marine giant was freed and guided back into the ocean off Forster on April 14, after becoming trapped in shallow waters in a desperate and complex rescue operation.The sub-adult humpback had entered the Coolongolook River the day before, before becoming stuck on a sandbar where it was unable to return to deeper water.Humpback whales typically migrate along Australia’s east coast between June and November, travelling from Antarctica to the Great Barrier Reef, but this individual appears to have set off far too early.A major rescue operation was launched involving the Sea World Foundation, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA), and the Forster Dive Centre.Specialist teams worked together using heavy-duty slings placed beneath the whale’s pectoral fins to carefully tow the exhausted animal off the initial sandbank and into deeper water.Video shows the extraordinary moment the whale was lifted into the main channel, where it was finally able to swim free.Sea World Foundation Head of Marine Sciences Wayne Phillips said: “We believe the whale travelled into the Foster area and, due to misadventure, became stranded on the sandbank, which was in a shallow stretch of the river.“Despite the ordeal, the whale is in a good condition with some minor skin issues from being in the sun, and while it remains in the Wallis Lake area, we are hopeful it will now be able to navigate its way back out to the open ocean.”...