Navy helps rescue stranded whale in Puttalam lagoon

The Navy helped rescue a stranded whale in the Puttalam lagoon off the Ippanthivu island by guiding it back to the deep sea yesterday (08). The stranded whale is about 20 feet long.

An Inshore Patrol Craft of SLNS Vijaya, in the Northwestern Naval Command, spotted the stranded whale yesterday morning, during a patrol in the Puttalam lagoon. Recognising the urgency of the situation, the Navy alerted the Department of Wildlife Conservation and immediately sent out a team of Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS) personnel to save this majestic marine mammal’s life.

Joining hands with the Department of Wildlife Conservation and National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) the RABS personnel gradually directed the whale towards deeper waters where it could swim unaided.