It’s just another beautiful day on the beach. A chilly, cold day on the Canadian east coast, but nevertheless, the sun is up, the whitecaps are aplenty and the air is fresh. It’s truly a serene scene of beauty. But then something weird stands out. A large mass on the otherwise smooth and spotless sand that looks like a massive lump out of place. You get a little closer to investigate.
You have just come across a lone beached whale washed ashore – and in -20° weather In Rainbow Haven Beach, Nova Scotia, that’s exactly what the entire community saw, and came together to help with.
Ordinarily social, pilot whales are rarely seen alone without their group, which raises questions like, how did this happen? Is the animal sick, too old, or injured? No one knows, not even the rescuers, but if there was any chance that the whale’s life could be saved, this small, tight-knit community was going to take it. And thankfully they did and succeeded! Power in numbers indeed.
A group of 100+ people came together, from passers-by to marine rescuers to a man who merely jumped in his truck and showed up after seeing a post on Facebook about an injured whale. Some people held tarps, others did some digging, but most of all, the community just wanted to take care of the poor mammal down on his luck.
Once the massive whale was hoisted onto the raft, a few daring rescuers waddled into the water to help release him. The whale was unable to successfully swim for a while because the low tide was causing some unforeseen difficulty in the shallow sandbars. These kind strangers were out in the freezing cold water for almost half an hour when he was finally able to swim away. The dozens of people who helped with his rescue are hopeful he made it out alive. Talk about a normal day at the beach that went awry! That must have been stressful.
See the video below to witness an optimistic community in action. Together in unison, they were able to save the life of an animal far from home.
