A group of researchers and volunteers managed to rescue a killer whale that was stranded on some rocks on British Columbia's remote North Coast at low tide, near Hartley Bay.
The Cetacean Lab, along with members from the World Wildlife Fund and the Guardians of Hartley Bay, helped save the whale as they approached it "as quietly as possible," The Huffington Post reported.
"She cried often, which tore at our hearts, but as the tide came up there were many cheers as this whale was finally free," the Cetacean Lab said in a Facebook post.
"We decided the best thing to do would be to keep her cool, that meant to put water on her body and we used blankets and sheets," said Hermann Meuter, a co-founder of the Cetacean Lab, CBC News reported. "It was the only thing we could do."
Meuter added that the orca was stressed, which the group could tell by its fast breathing. But after 15 to 20 minutes, it started to calm down and understood that they were merely trying to help.
Wet sheets were draped over the orca while one member put together a "MacGyver-like water pump."
The rescuers cheered when the tide came up after more than six hours, allowing the whale to swim back to the water and be reunited with its pod.
"A giant thank you once again to this amazing community that comes together so quickly to protect what is sacred," Whale Point said.
