China News Service, Ningbo, April 20 (Reporter Lin Bo) On April 20, when the sky was slightly bright, the stranded whale in Xiangshan County, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province was dragged to a water depth of 28 meters after a 20-hour relay rescue. area and restore the ability to dive autonomously.

At around 5:30, the stranded whale swam back to the deep sea on its own to escape.

  At about 8 o'clock on April 19, a whale about 20 meters stranded in the waters of Shipu, Xiangshan County.

After the whale was found stranded, relevant departments in Xiangshan quickly carried out rescue.

rescue the scene.

Photo courtesy of Xiangshan County Blue Dolphin Water Rescue Team

  According to Ma Menghua, a staff member of the Xiangshan County Water Conservancy and Fisheries Bureau, due to the large size of the whales, the sea was at low tide on the afternoon of the 19th, making rescue difficult. "The whales face the danger of dehydration in the sun, and the rescuers on site splashed water to keep the whales moisturizing and keeping their skin moist. ."

  At about 15:00 on April 19, when Bao Xingdan, a member of the Xiangshan County Blue Dolphin Water Rescue Team, arrived at the location of the stranded whale, all he could see was the whale's huge body. At that time, the tide slowly receded, and the whale's body was completely exposed on the beach. "When we went, we predicted that the rescue boats should not be used, so we brought tools such as plastic buckets and shovels."

  Although he is a member of the water rescue team, Bao Xingdan said that he had never participated in similar rescues before. "According to the guidance of the experts on the scene, we kept pouring water on the whales to protect the skin's moisture, and assisted the fishery officials to tie the ropes to the whales. so that the whales can be pulled back to the sea at high tide."

Whales are back in the ocean.

Photo courtesy of Xiangshan County Media Center

  As a result, the rescuers at the scene poured water to increase the moisture, while smearing the potion on the injured part of the whale.

  On the evening of April 19, as the tide rose, Bao Xingdan and other members of the water rescue team successively evacuated the stranded area, while Ma Menghua and other staff continued to guard the scene.

  At around 22:00 on April 19, the tide level in the waters of Shipu was high, which could basically cover the body of the whale.

Xiangshan then organized seven ships to arrive at the waters where the whales were, and pulled the whales back to the deep sea by dragging them.

  "Seeing the news that the whale has returned to the sea safely, I can finally let go of my heart." On April 20, Bao Xingdan breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the news that the whale "reported safety".

  The on-site staff determined that the stranded whale belonged to a sperm whale and was a first-class national protected animal.

  "It's the first time I've seen such a large whale rescue." Zhao Shenglong, a professor at Zhejiang Ocean University, said that the sperm whale with a length of about 20 meters is already "a rare age". "There have been related records of sperm whales in the waters of Fujian before. Mostly whale shark rescues, and the first time a large sperm whale has been seen."

Whales are back in the ocean.

Photo courtesy of Xiangshan County Media Center

  In recent years, there have been many whale stranding incidents along the coast of Zhejiang.

Zhao Shenglong said that in the current aquatic wildlife rescue, there are "shortcomings" in follow-up observations - the lack of some basic equipment and research conditions, "successful rescue does not mean the end."

  From the perspective of follow-up observation, Zhao Shenglong suggested to install a locator on the rescued whale, "Take this stranded whale as an example, after being rescued, it may reappear at the same place or nearby, and it is convenient to install a locator. We follow-up observation and research." (End)