Entangled whale rescued after ‘difficult and dangerous’ mission off UK, video shows

An entangled humpback whale was recently rescued off the coast of the U.K. following a grueling, multi-day operation, video footage shows.

The mission took place near Skye, an island in the Hebrides, a Scottish archipelago, according to a Jan. 31 Facebook post from the non-profit organization British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

“This was an extremely difficult and dangerous rescue, with hours of planning needed,” the post said.

It all began when a report was made via the non-profit’s hotline of a whale entangled in rope on Thursday, Jan. 30.

“Our large whale disentanglement team was scrambled and began to mobilize to Skye from all over the U.K., and as far afield as Cornwall,” which is around 750 miles away, a staff member with the non-profit said in a video posted by the organization.

When rescuers first arrived, they traveled via boat to the whale’s location and used underwater and aerial cameras to assess the situation.

“It became quickly apparent that with the fading light and complexity of the rescue we’d not be able to complete the rescue on Thursday evening,” the staff member said. They spent the evening meticulously planning the rescue.

The next day, they returned and set about cutting the ropes — which were wrapped around the whale’s head and fin.

“The team first freed the whale’s pectoral fin leaving another section of rope caught around the whale’s head which was wrapped tightly, cutting into skin,” the post said.

Finally, after stopping to review underwater camera footage, the rescuers made the final cut, allowing the whale — now “exhausted” — to drift off.

Afterward, they monitored the newly freed animal.

“Finally it began to swim and drive, showing all the great behavior we hope to see in a humpback,” the staff member said in the video.

Humpback whales, which are found in all the world’s oceans, are chiefly threatened by entanglements in fishing gear as well as ship strikes and underwater noise, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Worldwide, an estimated 300,000 cetaceans — which include whales and dolphins — die every year from entanglements, according to the Marine Mammal Center, a non-profit.

This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 2:46 PM with the headline "Entangled whale rescued after ‘difficult and dangerous’ mission off UK, video shows."