A 20-meter-long sperm whale became stranded in the sea off eastern China's Ningbo City at around 8 a.m on April 19. Rescuers tried to tow it out to sea with a fishing boat but failed because of its size and the low tide. As the tide ebbed, the whale was becoming dangerously dehydrated. Rescuers coated it with medicine, cooled it with water and dug puddles to keep its skin moist.

At around 10:30 p.m., the rising tide finally covered the whale's body. Rescuers began towing it out to deep water with a tugboat. After nearly seven hours, they successfully released the sperm whale.