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A giant killer whale has been rescued after beaching itself

The Orca had become snagged on rocks as low tide set in in Hartley, Canada.

11703383_912425112151273_3584908891721731333_n Whale Point / Facebook Whale Point / Facebook / Facebook

AN ENORMOUS KILLER whale has had a lucky escape after becoming beached on rocks off the coast of Hartley, Canada.

Local whale enthusiast group Whale Point, together with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) first heard of the Orca’s struggles yesterday evening. The whole rescue effort has been detailed on the group’s Facebook page.

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whalep2 Whale Point / Facebook Whale Point / Facebook / Facebook

The animal, described as a ‘transient’ (ie not tagged or known to its rescuers), seemed content enough to allow the people around it do their thing.

This essentially involved keeping the whale doused in water for the six hours it took for the tide to turn so that it could free itself under its own power.

11011273_912424138818037_8148012853413225538_n Whale Point / Facebook Whale Point / Facebook / Facebook

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11755079_912426375484480_3470278980635844206_n Whale Point / Facebook Whale Point / Facebook / Facebook

“She cried often, which tore at our hearts, but as the tide came up there were many cheers as this whale was finally free after 6+ hours of being stuck on this rock,” a Whale Point Facebook post reads.

Which all lead to this happy result:

11745873_912423878818063_4602152574344400902_n Freed at last, the Orca swims away

whalep3 Whale Point / Facebook Whale Point / Facebook / Facebook

Excellent stuff.

Killer whales can be found worldwide in all oceans. A highly social and intelligent species, they have little history of aggression towards humans, despite their moniker.

Read: Fergus Finlay had a terrifying encounter with this well-known dolphin

Read: 19 of the most stunning images from Google Street View… underwater

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