A group of ten men working at Pilotin Island near Santo has rescued a young whale that was found entangled in a fishing net, drifting from the direction of Ambae.

The rescue took place on Thursday last week, and video footage shared on social media shows the whale struggling with a net wrapped around its tail, paddling with only one fin.

Florion Ngwele, who was part of the group during the incident, said the whale appeared from the Ambae side with a rope and floating buoys still attached to the net.

“The net had small black mesh with floaters and a buoy at the end, which likely had GPS. From what we understand, it was dropped by a ship off Ambae and the whale got entangled while swimming past,” said Ngwele. “It kicked and broke part of the rope, but it stayed caught on its tail.”

Using basic tools and teamwork, the local group freed the whale, which swam safely back to open water with only minor cuts on its body.

Ngwele expressed pride in the rescue, especially as it involved protecting marine animals that play a vital role in the ocean.

“Animals like whales, dolphins, and turtles are not for us to hunt — they are caretakers of the ocean. The Bible tells us we are here to look after them, not to eat them,” he said. “If we care for them, they help keep our ocean clean and healthy.”

He noted that this wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred, but many previous cases had ended in tragedy with whales found dead on the shore.