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Tidal boat operators and rafters on a Nova Scotia river were struck by an unexpected disaster last weekend when they discovered Minke whale Got stuck on a sandbar during a hike.
Once they discovered this, they took immediate action.
“Some of our employees here have been working here for 30 years and they’ve never seen anything like this,” said Lucas Gamp with Tidal Rafting Resort.
Gump, who goes out to sea six days a week as part of his job, and was with about 30 tourists on Sunday when he spotted the whale stranded on a sandbar.
“It was so fun to see such powerful creatures and the amazing nature,” he said. “It was such a thrilling experience.”
The group spent about 20 minutes keeping the animal cool while they waited for the tide to rise.
Tonya Weimer, executive director of the Marine Animal Response Society, said nature has since taken over.
“Nature helped the animal with the tide, getting it back into the water. Then it eventually seemed to recover and swam away,” she said.
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She said minke whales are one of the most common whale species in the area and it is not uncommon to see the animals in the Bay of Fundy. However, it is certainly uncommon to see them in the river.
“They usually know where they’re going but they end up finding themselves in a place where they’re not quite sure and, you know, they get a little overwhelmed,” she said.
“That’s usually because something happened that caught them off guard.”
Gamp said saving the whale was a team effort that even involved members of other rafting companies in the area.
“A company owner stayed on the river late last night to watch it and they saw it leave the bridge and swim towards the sea,” he said.
“It’s wonderful to see an entire community care about making sure this fish escapes the river and returns safely to the ocean.”
Weimer confirmed that the whale was spotted swimming normally toward the Bay of Fundy on Sunday evening.
As of Monday morning, the Department of Natural Resources had sent planes over the area to see if the whales had returned.
“It’s great that they didn’t spot the animal again this morning. It was low tide. So that’s our best chance to see if the animal is still in the river,” she said.
This brought a sigh of relief to the community, who received the good news they had been waiting for.
Everybody is happy now and glad that the story has a happy ending,” Gamp said.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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