Leah Lessard Jeon, Global Animal

(WHALE RESCUE/VIDEO)  You must see this unforgettable whale rescue. Global Animal has shared thousands of stories about animals and our connection to the fellow beings with whom we share the planet. This video capturing a few “ordinary” people freeing a young humpback whale entangled in hundreds of feet of fishing net in the Sea of Cortez is perhaps the most extraordinary video we’ve seen.

Watch as the whale named Valentina by her rescuers goes from near death to freedom, then rewards her saviors with dozens of full-body breeches and tail flips.

Humpback whales can reach more than 50 feet in length and weigh nearly 80,000 pounds. These whales migrate more than 16,000 miles each year between polar waters and warm waters to breed and give birth, like those off Mexico’s Baja coast where Valentina was tangled and dying.

Michael Fishbach, seen in the red swim trunks, narrates his experience of struggling to cut the deadly net to free the trapped whale. Fishbach co-founded the Great Whale Conservancy to help make oceans safe for marine mammals worldwide. His young son, Galean, was part of this impromptu rescue effort and, undoubtedly, is changed by the encounter.

This video has the power to inspire action on behalf of other beings. In ways big and small, each of us can be the one who helps another. Opportunities to be a hero for animals are all around. Where will your compassion take you next?

See more stories of dramatic whale rescues below these pictures, including:

Humpback Whale Gives Thanks To Divers

Michael Fishbach narrates his encounter with a humpback whale entangled in a fishing net. Gershon Cohen and he have founded The Great Whale Conservancy to help and protect whales. Photo credit: Michael Fishbach/Great Whale Conservancy
The humpback whale was caught in 12 x 200 feet of shark net that was illegally placed in the National Marine Park, a protected area in the Sea of Cortez off the coast of Baja, Mexico. The net lacerated Valentina's skin on her tail and removed a chunk of her dorsal fin.
The humpback whale was caught in 12 x 200 feet of shark net that was illegally placed in the National Marine Park, a protected area in the Sea of Cortez off the coast of Baja, Mexico. The net lacerated Valentina’s skin on her tail and removed a chunk of her dorsal fin. About three-quarters of whales have scars from being tangled in fishing nets and seafood traps.
Michael and Heather Fishbach, their son, Gaelan, a couple of friends, and the boat driver enjoy half an hour of joyous breeching and tail-flipping by Valentina, the humpback whale they freed from nets near Loreto, Baja, California.

 

Once freed, the humpback whale Valentina seems to show her rescuers thanks with an extraordinary display of full-body breaching. Photo credit: Michael Fishbach/Great Whale Conservancy

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15 COMMENTS

  1. Brings tears! So heartwarming! So very glad you were able to free this young whale . . . what a beautiful effort! Obviously, the young whale was pretty happy about it all, too! Just beautiful! Thank you for sticking with the effort to free this whale! 9-14-2013

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