Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/beached-whale-rescue/

A seven-ton, 28-foot-long humpback whale found himself beached along the coast of La Lucila del Mar, a small town in Argentina.

Luckily, a group of more than 30 people, including locals, Civil Defense members, firefighters, marine conservationists, beach lifeguards, and coast guard officers, were able to save the whale before it was too late.

Initially, the group tried to work together to push the whale back out to sea, but the whale proved to be way too heavy for them and their attempt was unsuccessful. What made it even more difficult was that the whale was too weak to move his tail and fins.

After their failed attempts, they knew they had to bring in the heavy machinery. Rescuers wrapped a harness around the massive whale. They then used a tractor crane to hoist the whale up and transfer him back into the water.

Thankfully, the whale gained back enough strength to move his tail and fins again as he swam off into deeper waters. Rescuers cheered and were relieved that they were able to help the whale survive. If locals found the whale any later, he may not have made it.

Conservationists are unsure how the whale became beached in the first place.

You can watch the incredible hours-long rescue in the video below:

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog