On 2 April, the RNLI were called out to rescue a humpback whale who had become entangled in nets off the Devon coast. RNLI Salcombe and British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) tasked a lifeboat to Blackpool Sands shortly after 4pm, where the whale was trapped. But it wasn’t the first time RNLI had met with this majestic mammal. For only 11 days earlier, they were called out on a mission exactly like this one.
Watch the footage:
Speaking of the rescue, BDMLR’s Dan Jarvis told reporters:
Fortunately this time it was a much easier operation and with the experience we had from last time, it was all done and dusted in about an hour. The whale was quite exhausted but they’re very intelligent animals, so I’d like to think it knew we were trying to help and was very cooperative.
On 22 March, the eight metre, 20 tonne whale become trapped nearby in a whelk pot line by its tail. This time, it was the job of Dart RNLI lifeboat to save the mammal:
The whale appears to be a regular visitor to the Devonshire coast of late, first being spotted a month ago. Its become known as the Start Bay whale.
It’s fantastic to see the hard work of the RNLI team pay off. But it’s also concerning to see this whale trapped by fishing nets not only once, but twice in the same area. Some have also raised concern about why this mammal has come so close to the Devonshire shore line.
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