Whale tangled in ropes freed off coast of Provincetown

The Marine Animal Entanglement Response Team freed an entangled humpback whale.

“I think the whale is probably doing well today; it may be a little sore from being entangled for so many days, but overall it looked to be in good condition once we released it”, Jenn Tackaberry, one of the responders, said in the press release, CBS News reported.

The humpback had rope fed through its mouth and tied to its tail.

A team from the Center for Coastal Studies had set out to observe local humpback whales on Saturday when they discovered the unfortunate cetacean near Stellwagen Bank, roughly five miles north of Provincetown, according to NECN.

The team worked to free the whale while aboard a 35-foot boat while the almost 15-foot-long shark remained in the area. Where rescuers typically opt for smaller vessels in such situations, the IBIS was chosen to keep rescuers safe from the circling shark, according to CCS.

Robbins had initially thought that the animal was merely resting since it was floating on its back, revealing it on the water surface however, when she got closer to further inspect the creature, she spied the rope and the bloody whale dorsal fin.

The team carefully used a hook shaped knife that was connected on a long pole to cut the rope starting at the mouth of the whale.

Once the shark swam away, the team then pulled alongside the whale to finish the disentanglement.

Once it was freed, the animal immediately swam away despite suffering some injuries.

Boaters are asked to report any entanglement sightings of whales, sea-turtles or other marine animals to the Marine Animal Entanglement Response Hotline, at 800-900-3622. CCS video taken under NOAA 18786.