KARAIKAL: A group of fishers and port personnel rescued a 50-feet-long blue whale that shored up near Karaikal in a six-hour long operation on Saturday. The blue whale surfaced near the Karaikal Adani Port on Saturday morning, where it remained stuck for hours. The mammal which was partially under water, appeared distressed and was unable to move back into the sea. After being informed by the fisheries department, fishers from TR Pattinam Pattinacherry fishing village reached the spot in their motorised boats and, along with personnel from Karaikal Port, decided to pull the mammal using boats.
“The whale was initially scared. It began flipping and whipping its tails when we tried to bind its tail with ropes. Then, it understood our intent and calmed down,” said N Bhagyaraj, a 40-year-old fisher-representative from TR Pattinam Pattinacherry. The fishers said the whale weighed at least over 20 tons. Its tail was tied with a rope that was fastened onto a mechanised boat. The mechanised boat began pulling the whale and dragged it for about four nautical miles into the sea.
Vanjulavalli Sridhar, the Conservator of Forests said, “We cut the ropes and released it after reaching the deeper waters. Karaikal port management and staffs was immensely helpful.” A Murugavel, a 40-year-old fisher-representative from TR Pattinam Pattinacherry, said, “Around 15 of us went in motorised boats to escort the whale. It was a hearty experience to save the whale. Hopefully, it will travel well.”
The blue whale is an endangered species as per the classification of International Union of Conservation of Nature. Its numbers have dwindled over the years due to hunting and poaching across countries. The blue whales do not often shore up near India often, officials said.