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Stranded Humpback Whale Calf Reunited With Mother

A team of locals pulled it out of rock pools in a tug-of-war.

A stranded humpback whale calf was in a desperate situation when a group of surfers and beachgoers set to work freeing it from a rockpool.

As mum waited out past the waves at Kingscliff beach, the group tied a rope around the whale and pulled it to safety over the course of more than one hour.

Surfer Blair McDonald told The Sunshine Coast Daily it was clear the calf needed help.

"We knew we were short on time because the tide was coming out and it was getting shallower and shallower, and the whale kept getting itself more and more bogged and getting itself cut up," McDonald told The Sunshine Coast Daily.

"We just decided to band together because we were racing against the clock and the mother was pacing up and down and we knew if she left the calf it had no chance, we just had to get it out."

The rescue happened while Sea World experts were on their way and it was freed before they arrived. Sea World marine sciences director Trevor Long told Channel 9 rescues of animals the size of a whale were inherently risky.

"I applaud the people for what they did, they've just got to be very careful, that's an animal that weighs a tonne," Long told Channel 9.

If you find an injured or distressed marine animal, call the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia on 02 9415 3333.

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