Campground workers rescue 13-foot sea creature from rocks in Australia. See photo
A juvenile whale shark found itself in “a spot of bother” recently while coasting past an Australian campground.
The approximately 13-foot long “little visitor” became stuck in a rocky patch along the shore, according to a photo posted on Facebook by Brooms Head Holiday Park, a campground in New South Wales.
That’s when campground employees stepped in, the park said in its post.
“He managed to get himself back out to open water with a little help from the amazing ladies from the Snack Shack & a couple of our boys,” the post said.
It took about an hour to get the whale shark unstuck, the park said in an email to McClatchy News. After that, the whale shark swam out to sea.
Whale sharks are the world’s largest living fish, according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science. They can grow to nearly 60 feet long and can weigh up to 34 tons, which is about 68,000 pounds.
The “vulnerable” and “rare” species is found throughout Australian waters, but sightings are less common on the New South Wales coast, the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said. Whale sharks are “known to inhabit both deep and shallow coastal waters,” the agency said.
Employees involved in the rescue shared their thoughts on Facebook.
“Big thanks to everyone that jumped in and helped us get him back out there, greatly appreciated,” Sonya Britten commented on the park’s post.
“Massive thanks,” Tameeka Gillespie commented. “Greatly appreciated all, great team work.”
Other social media users thanked the park staff for their work to rescue the creature.
“So nice to hear humans helping other creatures,” one person commented.
“What a beautiful creature,” another person wrote.
“Wow don’t see that very often,” a third comment said.
This story was originally published November 2, 2023 at 10:47 AM with the headline "Campground workers rescue 13-foot sea creature from rocks in Australia. See photo."
