Man killed by 70-ton whale seconds after rescuing it
A Canadian fisherman who spent years saving whales from nets was killed just moments after disentagling one.
Joe Howlett, 59, who co-founded the Compobello Whale Rescue Team, was performing the rescue in the New Bruswick Gulf of St Lawrence on Monday when the North Atlantic right whale moved unexpectedly and killed him, Canadian news outlet CBC News reported.
“The whale apparently swam away free from the gear,” Jerry Conway, an adviser with the Campobello Whale Rescue Team, told the news outlet.
“The whale responded in a way that ultimately killed Joe.”
He did not go into detail about what happened, but said rescuers face a lot of danger including getting tangled in rope or being dragged into the water.
“You’re dealing with a 70-ton whale that’s very upset,” Conway said.
Captain Mackie Greene, the head of the whale rescue group, describe dit as a "freak accident".
“They got the whale totally disentangled and then some kind of freak thing happened and the whale made a big flip,” he told The Canada Press.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said the whale ultimately survived and was seen swimming nearby, free of the net.
The fund said Mr Howlett had been involved in rescuing dozens of whales over the past 15 years.
“Joe lived and breathed that mission, and thanks to his tireless dedication, he saved dozens of whales over the last 15 years,” the group said.
“Joe will be remembered as a kind man with great humour and a ready smile. Our thoughts are with Joe’s friends and family who are experiencing this heartbreaking loss.”
In a 2013 interview, he had told CBC Mainstreet, that rescuing whales is "not a scary situation."
"I'm a fisherman and I've been fishing for half of my life, and I know what it's all about with ropes and things like that," he said at the time.
