Crews rejoice as tangled humpback whale saved on Sydney Harbour

A juvenile* humpback whale entangled* in netting was finally cut free by rescue crews, after a massive operation in Sydney Harbour on Friday morning.

The Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans* (ORRCA) second vice president Jessica Fox confirmed the positive news just after 11am, stating: “Whale is now free”.

The whale, now free from its entanglement, gracefully* made its way out of the harbour.

Friday’s happy ending followed a massive operation by rescue teams, who had to pause their efforts on Thursday night due to darkness.

The rescue mission resumed Friday morning after ORRCA volunteers were alerted by a whale-watching group that spotted the distressed whale around 1:30pm on Thursday.

There had been concerns that the whale might have travelled as far south as Wollongong after losing a GPS tracker.

The positive update came after search efforts to find and free the young mammal* resumed at first light Friday.

Earlier, rescue crews were working to free the struggling whale as it continued to submerge* and resurface.

Anyone who spotted it was encouraged to contact the ORRCA 24 hour rescue hotline.

“The behaviour of entangled whales can be unpredictable* and they can change directions of travel,” ORRCA stated on social media.

ORRCA is one of Australia’s most experienced and successful whale, dolphin, seal and dugong rescue teams. A registered charity, the organisation is licensed to participate in marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation* and release.

Its volunteer members come from all walks of life, age groups and nationalities.

ORRCA operates a 24/7, 365 days of the year rescue hotline for the public to report any injured, entangled or stranded whales, dolphins, seals and dugongs.

You can also report any sightings of whales, dolphins, seals and dugongs to the ORRCA rescue hotline team on 02 9415 3333.

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GLOSSARY

• juvenile: young, not fully grown or old enough to be an adult
• entangled: caught up in something, stuck, ensnared, entwined
• cetaceans: marine mammals, including whales, dolphins, porpoises and dugongs
• gracefully: smoothly, elegantly, moving in a beautiful way that’s pleasing to watch
• mammal: any animal of which the female feeds her young on milk from her own body, and mostly gives birth to live young, not eggs
• submerge: to go beneath the surface of the water
• unpredictable: unstable, erratic, changing suddenly and without warning
• rehabilitation: process of recovering from illness or injury

EXTRA READING

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How do whales sing underwater?

Sad update for beached whale

QUICK QUIZ

1. Which organisation was involved in the rescue and what is its full name?
2. What type of whale was involved?
3. What had happened to the whale that meant it needed human assistance?
4. Why was the search called off on Thursday?
5. What can you do if you see a cetacean in trouble along the coast of NSW?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Whale of a tale
Turn this news story into a narrative story, told from the point of view of the rescued whale. Try to capture the emotions of the different stages of the event.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

2. Extension
Whale rescues can be quite dangerous – make a list of the possible dangers. Then write a paragraph to explain why you think people put themselves in this danger to rescue the animals.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there helping to save the humpback whale.

Create a conversation between two characters from the rescue crew. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.

Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.