A video showing a beached blue whale being helped back into the water off the coast of Chile is making rounds of the Internet.
The Associated Press video posted by
The Guardian on Wednesday describes how rescuers used a net and ropes to get the 20-meter whale off the beach of the port city of Iquique.
"Along with members of the police and the Navy, they were able to pull the whale back into deeper water after securing it with a large net," said Claire Lomas, of
The Telegraph.
Sky News said it took three hours to get the whale back into the water from the time people on the beach alerted officials about the stranded animal.
"It's great to see such a tremendous effort by so many to save this beached blue whale in Chile," said the Marine Conservation Science Institute on its
Facebook page. "With the use of ropes and nets the animal was successfully towed out to deeper waters."
"(It) looks like there's three-four boats involved in the video. There's also no way of knowing if the animal beached due to injury or illness to begin with. Only time will tell if the animal made it through the stressful ordeal or not. It was still great to see how the community worked together to do their best to give this animal a chance at survival."
Blue whales are the largest animals on Earth, growing up to 100 feet long and can weigh upwards of 200 tons, according to
National Geographic. Blue whales are an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list of threatened species.
Efforts to save the whale brought a positive response on social media.
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