Seeing an animal in distress is a very difficult thing to watch. Knowing there is nothing you can do to help the animal is even tougher. I found a cat when I was about 9, stranded in a tree in the middle of winter. It was cold, scared and looked pretty malnourished. I was able to climb the tree and retrieve the cat. I took the cat inside and gave it some food. It was one of the proudest moments of my life growing up. I saw an animal in distress and I was able to do something about it. Well I imagine that’s what these whale spotters must feel like after the act of kindness they performed on a whale in distress recently. Take a look at these pictures and video and see what they were able to do as this diver rescues a whale.
Cesar Espino was out on his boat with a friend off the coast of the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, Spain.
They encountered the large marine mammal tangled in illegal fishing line. Unfortunately this is all too common in today’s world.
The men realized quickly that the giant mammal was in distress caused by the fishing line. This started what turned out to be an hour-long rescue operation.
Cesar dove into the water without any hesitation or second thought for his own safety. He soon noticed that the fishing line was attached to a buoy and anchored by rope and hooks used for selective fishing. The hooks from the lines were stuck in the whale’s mouth and the ropes were wrapped around its body and tail.
Cesar and his friend swam the length of the whale for over an hour, cutting each individual rope that was restraining her. After the ropes were cut, they were able to remove the hooks that were lodged in the whale’s mouth.
The rescue became more difficult with each rope that was being cut however. The whale would regain movement and strength when a rope was cut, making it difficult for them to keep hold of the whale. They were ultimately able to free the whale and do an incredibly good deed in the process.
What Cesar and his friend did is incredibly heroic. It’s extremely sad that wildlife are put in danger daily by the irresponsible actions of humans around the world. Hopefully we will live in a world someday where humans and animals can coexist without either hurting the other.