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A humpback whale that was entangled in a rope off the coast of Skye has been freed by a team of volunteer rescuers. The plight of the animal was spotted at Organic Sea Harvest’s salmon farm site in the Staffin area early on Thursday. The rope was wrapped around the whale’s head and left fin, and it is suspected that it became entangled in a heavy-duty chain anchoring a mooring buoy to the ocean floor.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), a charity which helps stranded and injured marine animals, was contacted and sent experts to help rescue the whale. The team was made up of volunteers from different parts of the country, who worked tirelessly to remove the rope without causing further distress to the animal. The whale, which measures around 8-9m in length, was exhausted but later swam away, and was last sighted near Gairloch on the Highland mainland.
The BDMLR has a 24-hour hotline for reporting any sightings of marine animals in distress, and has been working to protect marine life in the UK for over 30 years. The charity relies entirely on donations and funding from grants to continue its important work. Volunteers are trained to respond to a range of situations, from rescuing whales and dolphins to helping seals and sea turtles, and can work in hugely challenging environments in all kinds of weather conditions.
The entanglement of whales in rope and other debris is becoming an increasingly common problem as marine plastic pollution continues to rise. Climate change is also causing changes in ocean conditions, which in turn impact the migration patterns and feeding behaviours of whales. Experts believe that finding new ways to clear up the oceans and reduce plastic pollution is an urgent priority to protect the future of marine life
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