Job ‘whale’ done: 16-foot giant released in Bay of Bengal after 9-hr night rescue
Times of India | 4 January 2025
1234 Kolkata: The 16-foot Bryde's whale, only the fourth sighting from Bengal and 60th from India, that got trapped inside a creek at Kakdwip was rescued after a nine-hour operation by 20-22 forest staff and locals and released in the Bay of Bengal in the early hours of Friday. Cops and local block development officer were present during the operation to manage the crowd.
Divisional forest officer of South 24 Parganas, Nisha Goswami, said it was released in the mouth of the Bay of Bengal around 1 am on Friday. "It was a remarkable rescue operation as our staff endured cold, tides and water currents to save the whale," she added.
According to sources, both high and low tides presented challenges to the team during the operation. "While during high tide we couldn't approach it properly, during low tide, the rescue vessel took time to reach the spot. Though our teams were prepared from 4 pm on Thursday, we were awaiting the high tide to recede to commence the operation. We could finally initiate the efforts around 6 pm. Both mouths of the Lakhipur creek, where it was trapped, had sand beds. Though the high tide brought some relief for the whale, they prefer deeper waters," said an official.
As the low tide approached, the staff readied a stretcher-like apparatus with bamboo poles, nets and tarpaulin and positioned the whale there to keep it buoyant. "However, the low tide caused a delay in arrival of the rescue vessel in which it had to be transported to the Bay of Bengal for release," he added.
As the trawler arrived around 10.30 pm on Thursday, the team initially attempted to place the whale on it but were unsuccessful. "Due to its huge size and weight, it was impossible to lift it. Subsequently, we secured the stretcher with the whale to the vessel and proceeded towards Bay of Bengal. We traversed Sagar and Ghoramara and reached the mouth of the Bay around 12.45 am where it was released around 1 am on Friday. After release, it plunged deep and swam away," said an official.
Sources indicated since adult Bryde's whales can grow up to 40 ft or more, it's likely that this was a juvenile.
They inhabit the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, favouring highly productive, tropical, subtropical and warm, temperate waters. According to Dipani Sutaria, an ecologist researching marine cetaceans in India, the Swatch of No ground offshore between India and Bangladesh harbours a resident population.