On Thursday, ten whales were found dead on a Indonesian beach. However, locals rushed to save a still alive member of the pod. They tried to push it back into the sea.?
Talking to AFP the head of the region's water conservation agency Ikram Sangadji said that the mammals, ranging from 2-6 metres (6.5-20 feet) in length, were found in the remote province of East Nusa Tenggara.?
Images show a group of about 10 people struggling to save the eleventh whale that washed up on the shore, and push it back in the ocean.?
Finally, after much labour the men managed to get the creature into water. The mammal that was scarred with deep cuts appeared to swim off by itself, prompting loud cheers from the group. A video of the rescue is going viral as well. One can see the amount of effort it took for the group to push the whale towards the sea.?
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According to Sangadji, the stricken pod were likely short-finned pilot whales.?
Short-finned pilot whales are highly social and are often involved in mass strandings.?
After rescuing the one whale, the locals dug graves to respectfully bury the carcasses of the ten dead whales. Their bodies had deep cuts which could have been caused by them coming it contact with sharp rocks.?
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Cross-currents off beaches pose a danger to whales as they can get caught between reefs close to shore.
Thanks to the locals at least one whale swam to safety and possibly a longer life.
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