Im Fluss Rio de la Plata
Whale stranded in Argentina: large-scale rescue operation
07/26/2026 – 02:47Reading time: 1 min.
A whale ran aground near the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. (Source: Fundación Temaikén/dpa/dpa-bilder)
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For more than a day, rescuers fought for the life of a whale stuck in the river. The animal did not survive.
A sei whale washed up on a sandbank in the Rio de la Plata River in Argentina and died. Rescue teams spent more than 24 hours trying to free the seven-meter-long animal. This was announced by the Temaiken Conservation Foundation, DPA reports.
The whale was first spotted on Friday off the coast of San Fernando, a suburb north of the capital Buenos Aires. The situation was considered “critical” from the very beginning: the entire weight of the animal was on the stomach, which disrupted the functioning of its organs. To reduce the stress on the whale, which weighs several tons, helpers kept its skin moist.
Sightings occur more frequently
Rescue teams planned to use the natural rise in water levels to guide the animal into deeper water and from there back out to sea. This section of the river is known for strong tidal fluctuations and many sandbanks. The plan failed. Temaiken explained: “Unfortunately, despite all efforts, the animal did not survive.”
The sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) is a species that migrates north along the Atlantic coast of Argentina during the southern winter. Observations between Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil Therefore, there is nothing unusual near the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, Temaiken says. The foundation believes that due to a combination of environmental factors or health issues, the animal became disoriented, wandered upstream and ultimately became stuck on a sandbar.