The blue whale had washed ashore in Ratnagiri district.
A 35-foot baby blue whale that was stranded on a shore in Maharashtra was finally sent back to its natural habitat after 40 hours of efforts by officials. The blue whale washed ashore in Ratnagiri district on Monday and got stuck in the sand due to low tide.
Several attempts made at pushing the three-ton animal back into the water failed, raising concerns over its survival. Authorities tried to drag it to the waters using a belt, but it caused injuries to its tail and prompted them to abort it.
The rescuers poured seawater to keep it hydrated and covered it with cotton to create the environment that it needs to survive, an official said. A team of veterinarians administered fluid to keep it alive.
Last night, the whale was placed on a net and it was pushed towards the water using a tugboat. It was dragged 7-8 nautical miles into the sea that took several hours, after which the whale calf broke the net and vanished into the sea, said Dhanajay Kulkarni, Superintendent of Police.
"It was an important task to save the marine life. All stakeholders, including the district administration, Coast Guard, a private company, local villagers, and marine experts, were involved in the operation alongside the police to rescue the whale," he said.
Blues whales are the largest animal species on earth that can grow up to over 90 feet. Several incidents of whales getting washed ashore has been reported this year.
In August, a Bryde's whale calf died after getting washed ashore twice in two days in Gujarat's Surat as all efforts to rescue and release it back into the water failed.
A month prior to that, a blue whale was washed ashore at a beach in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam. The 25-foot whale weighed five tons, according to local reports.