People Comfort Stranded Whale While She Waits For Help

They gave her a towel so she wouldn't get sunburned.

People were enjoying a beautiful day by the shore in Tasmania, Australia, when they noticed something on the nearby rocks.

Closer inspection revealed a dwarf minke whale stuck on the shore, desperate for help.

"The juvenile dwarf minke whale was stranded on rocks on Diamond Island at Bicheno and reported to program biologists via the Whale Hotline," the Tasmanian government's Marine Conservation Program (MCP) wrote on Facebook this week.

According to the group, beachgoers "did a fantastic job" keeping the poor whale cool and wet while waiting for rescuers to arrive. They draped a damp towel over her to keep her from getting dehydrated and sunburned.

It's believed that the whale got stuck on her migration from the Great Barrier Reef to the summer feeding spot in the southern ocean.

Finally, rescuers arrived with a special mat to move the whale, and she successfully reentered deeper water.

"Once released the whale responded immediately and swam away strongly," WCP wrote. "Checks of local beaches the following morning found no sign of the whale."

Rescuers take this to be a very good sign that the whale is well on her way south.