They spent three hours trying to help her.
Few sights are as mesmerizing as a whale’s tail rising majestically from the ocean’s surface. However, for a group of fishermen navigating Colombia’s Utría National Natural Park recently, this awe-inspiring moment turned into a scene of distress.
Their joy quickly turned to despair as they witnessed a humpback whale struggling to free itself from a heavy black net entangled around its body. The whale’s frantic tail thrashing indicated its desperate plight, but it was unable to extricate itself.
The fishermen promptly contacted CODECHOCÓ, the environmental authority responsible for the Colombian Pacific region, and reported the urgent situation. A rapid response team was mobilized immediately.
“Upon receiving the alert, CODECHOCÓ, in coordination with the Pacific regional office, assembled a team including the Colombian Navy, the Mayor’s Office of Bahía Solano, Utría National Natural Park, the Coast Guard, and local community members,” CODECHOCÓ detailed on their website. “They commenced control and surveillance operations in the area where the marine mammal was last seen.”