Two days of effort to bring a giant back to sea.
One winter morning, fishermen from Cap Bon reported a dark mass in the shallows near Kélibia: a disoriented cetacean, unable to return to open sea. Very quickly, maritime guards, veterinarians and volunteers got organized.
Two days of holding out on the tide
For two days, the animal is kept moist, away from rocks and guided at each tide towards the depths. Cetaceans that approach the Tunisian coast are often weakened or confused by underwater noise.
The work is methodical: we protect the skin from the sun, we clear the vents, we avoid any pressure on the fins, and we limit the noise around the animal. Every extra gesture costs energy to an animal that doesn't have much left.
In the Mediterranean, every rescue is a race against time where every hour counts.
What stranding tells about the sea
On the third morning, carried by calmer seas, the whale finally crosses the bar and disappears out to sea. On the beach, the exhausted team will especially remember the fragility of these giants once deprived of the bottom.
Each stranding is also information: the teams note the species, size, condition of the animal and the circumstances. Taken end to end, these surveys outline the health of a sea where maritime traffic, nets and noise weigh more and more.
