Humpback whale stranded on Dutch island returns to open sea

The humpback whale that was stranded near Terschelling, an island in the northern Netherlands, has returned to the open sea.

The Dutch animal rescue organization SOS Dolfijn, the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM), and the shipping company Noordgat guided the whale back to the sea.

“Hopefully, the animal will stay in the North Sea and recover from the injuries it sustained during the stranding,” SOS Dolfijn said. The animal is still weak and thin.

On Friday evening, a humpback whale became stranded on a sandbank. Rescuers kept him as wet as possible, and finally, they directed the whale towards the open sea.

The whale was seen earlier this week in the Wadden Sea. It is quite rare for a humpback whale to be swimming there.

Humpback whales strandings

Whale strandings can be caused by various factors, including navigational errors, illness, injury, environmental changes, and human activities.

Humpback whales may become disoriented and swim from the sea into shallow waters where they cannot escape. Sometimes, changing water temperatures, currents, and tides drive them ashore.

Human impacts like noise pollution, ship strikes, and fishing gear entanglement also contribute to these incidents.

When a whale is stranded, rescuers work to keep the animal wet and cool while attempting to guide him back to deeper waters.

The outcomes of whale strandings vary. It depends on the cause of the stranding, the whale’s condition, and the effectiveness of the rescue efforts.