Stranded Killer Whale Saved by Group Who Kept It Wet Until Tide Rose

Good News Notes:

A killer whale stranded on rugged rocks above the shoreline in Alaska on Thursday was saved after a group of people kept it cool with water until wildlife officials arrived.

The US Coast Guard was alerted Thursday morning that a 20-foot-long orca was stranded alive on a rocky shore of Prince of Wales Island, near the coast of British Columbia, Julie Fair, a spokesperson with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told Insider.

The boat that reported the orca, which was four to five feet above sea level at the time, received instructions from NOAA that they could use seawater to keep the whale wet and keep birds away until wildlife officials arrived.

Local resident Tara Neilson told Insider that her niece, Aroon Melane, who was in the area visiting family, heard about the stranded whale and decided to go help. Melane and her friends used buckets to splash seawater onto the whale, which had also been injured on the rock.

Melane posted a video of the experience on her TikTok, where she said the whale started to get more “lively” after being splashed with water….”

View the whole story here: https://www.insider.com/stranded-killer-whale-saved-group-kept-wet-until-tide-rose-2021-7?amp

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