Thankfully, Melane says the whale became more lively after the crew put water on them.
A 20-foot orca stranded on rocks in Prince of Wales Island, Ala., was freed Thursday with the help of wildlife officials, nearby sailors, and an incoming tide, writes thepetneeds
Boaters near the shore spotted the stuck whale in a crevice of rocks almost 5 feet above the tide line, according to CNN.
TikTok user Aroon Melane shared a video documenting the rescue effort, showing the crew pouring buckets of water on the stranded orca.
“We were working on getting a hose and pump to work,” Melane says in the video. “In the meantime, we used buckets to keep the orca wet.”
NOAA spokeswoman Julie Fair told CNN that NOAA will examine photos and videos taken during the rescue to determine whether the whale was injured.
It’s still unclear what caused the beaching. Less than a day before, an 8.2-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of southwestern Alaska, but NOAA does not believe it caused the orca to become stranded.
Kudos to the good Samaritans who spent their day keeping this orca safe!