Kayakers try to help when injured whale approaches them

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Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Kaykers help injured whale
When a Humpback whale approached a group of kayakers, they noticed the animal was tangled in rope.

When a group of kayakers was approached by a whale in Australia on July 13, they got the impression that the whale was trying to tell them something. Then they noticed that it was tangled up in rope and sprang into action.

The kayakers were on a tour off the Sunshine Coast of Queensland when the juvenile humpback whale came up to them. The whale was rubbing against the kayak and turning over for about 10 minutes as if it was trying to show them something, according to the tour group, Epic Ocean Adventures. Tour guide Tyron van Santen noticed there was rope around its fin and that it had some scars and small wounds, and he jumped in the water to try to help.

When van Stanten got up close, he saw that the whale seemed to have swallowed part of the rope. It was then that the group paddled back to shore so they could call parks and wildlife authorities.

"We are still amazed by the whales ability to try to communicate with us for help," the tour company wrote on YouTube, adding that they hope the whale recovers fully. The company wrote in a blog post on Monday that they had not heard any news about the whale's whereabouts and recovery.