Two pilot whales were rescued in Akranes, West Iceland, early Monday morning, according to RÚV. The whales had repeatedly swum up to shore by Elínarhöfði, where they got stuck. The rescue mission took two hours, but rescue workers arrived at the scene shortly after 1 am.
Anna Leif Elídóttir, who witnessed the incident, said the whales appeared to be sick. She said one of the whales got injured and was bleeding. “It’s unbelievable to be face to face with these animals,” she said.
The Akranes rescue team was called out to push the whales back out to sea. According to Ásgeir Örn Kristinsson, one of the rescue workers, that was not an easy task. “You have respect for these animals. A friendly move of the tail can shoot you many meters out. We tried to avoid being close to the tail or mouth,” he said.
You can watch a video of the rescue here. It was recorded by Sóley Ósk Elídóttir.
