CAPE POINT, South Africa (16 Sep 2004) -- In a daring rescue the navy has saved a juvenile whale ensnared in crayfish nets and ropes near Cape Point. The southern right whale, which was spotted almost four nautical miles south-east of Cape Point, was discovered entangled in a mass of crayfish buoy-marker ropes. The whale was spotted shortly after 1pm on Monday by a lookout on a navy vessel during an annual fleet combat preparedness exercise called Red Lion, said Rear Admiral Arne Soderlund. The whale appeared to be in distress and the senior officer dispatched a mine countermeasure vessel, SAS Umhloti. An inflatable boat was launched from Umhloti with a team of navy divers, who had the hazardous task of freeing the whale from the ropes which were completely wrapped around its tail and fluke. Divers had to cut the ropes using knives. "What was amazing was that the whale stayed very still throughout the rescue," said Soderlund, except for one particularly harrowing moment when the whale "flipped" its tail. "It might have been young, but it was quite strong," said Soderlund. | | Navy divers work to free whale entangled in fishing ropes After 20 minutes the whale was freed and the divers returned to the boat, unharmed. A diver told Soderlund that he had seen another whale in the distance. "We would like to stress to everyone that no one should attempt this kind of rescue on their own because it is extremely dangerous," said Soderlund. He added that should anyone see a distressed whale, they should contact the relevant authorities, or trained professionals. SOURCE - IOL |
