Over three hundred people are celebrating after a mammoth effort to save the life of a stranded humpback baby whale, that got stuck on a Rio de Janeiro beach, ended successfully with the creature being released into the ocean in the late afternoon.
Three hundred volunteers have helped to rescue a humpback whale calf after it got stranded on a beach near Rio de Janiero, Brazil
The workers dug a trench to the ocean which allowed sea water to flow in and lift the creature, before helping it back into the water with a sling
People celebrated as the animal appeared to wave its flipper back to shore, then swam back out to open waters
At first rescuers thought the animal wasn’t going to survive after it managed to move with great effort and the help of rescuers deeper into the sea. Then suddenly it sprang to life and started to swim and to splash its tail.
Dozens of those who fought to save the mammal were in the water as they clapped and cheered at the successful rescue.
Three hundred volunteers spent the night pouring water over the 32ft creature to keep it from overheating while others tried to dig away the sand from around it
The rescuers were joined by diggers on Thursday as they made a channel to the ocean, before tidal waters flowed in an refloated the creature
Workers were hesitant to move the creature themselves because the strain could have caused potentially fatal damage to its internal organs
Biologists say the animal weighs seven tons, but its body is not made to cope with the pressure of that weight because it is usually suspended in water
The humpback puppy, which weighs around seven tons, was found washed up on Wednesday afternoon on the shores of Rasa Beach in Armaçao dos Buzios, a tourist resort around 120 miles outside the Rio capital.
Volunteers say the whale was found crying out and flailing around in distress, but has gone quiet as it weakens and now only occasionally opens its eye
Humpback whales come to the shores off Rio to mate, give birth and raise their young from July until November before heading off into deeper waters