A rare southern right whale has been freed after becoming tangled in fishing gear and dragging more than 330ft of rope and several buoys behind it.
The nine-metre-long whale was found with a rope wrapped tightly around its tail and it was towing four buoys along with around 100 metres (328ft) of line through the water.
The animal was first spotted by fishers, sparking a major rescue effort involving conservation experts and trained disentanglement teams.
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Specialists monitored the whale for several days while assessing the safest way to approach the operation, as reported by Need To Know.
After a painstaking rescue mission, crews successfully cut away the fishing gear, allowing the whale to swim away freely.
Officials described the operation as a landmark moment, saying it was the first recorded disentanglement of a southern right whale in the country’s waters.
Conservationists said the whale was not believed to be in immediate danger, but there were concerns the entanglement could cause serious injury or infection if left unresolved.
Images released following the rescue show crews working from small boats as they carefully manoeuvred alongside the whale to remove the ropes.
Southern right whales were hunted to near extinction during the commercial whaling era and remain a relatively uncommon sight today, making successful rescues particularly significant for conservation efforts.
The dramatic operation took place off Rakiura/Stewart Island, south of New Zealand’s South Island, after local fishers raised the alarm when they spotted the whale trailing fishing equipment.
Jennifer Ross, operations manager for New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, praised everyone involved in the rescue, which took four days to complete.
The whale was last seen swimming away strongly after being freed from the ropes and buoys.
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