Guard personnel to free the whale. BDMLR, through the International Whaling Commission (IWC), sought permission from the pro-whaling Icelandic government to allow an international rescue team to come to the aid of the whale on welfare grounds. After about a week, permission was granted from the Icelandic government to attempt a rescue of the whale. The ALWDN decided to form an international response utilising BDMLR manpower and resources backed up by a team member from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in Cape Cod near Boston in the US. The following day, the team consisting of 1 member from IFAW and 3 from BDMLR laden with over 150 kg of rescue equipment met up in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik in preparation for the following days rescue attempt, but due to the complexity of the entanglement, the size of the search area (Faxa Bay) where the whale was last spotted, and the unpredictable weather in the area the team had allowed a minimum of a week to conduct the rescue. This operation first involved "Nantucket sleigh rides", which proved to be inefficient as a means of facilitating rescue. The team came up with a new method of attaching a buoy just behind the tail to stop the animal from diving, and bring it to the surface for longer periods, giving the team more opportunities to cut the line when the whale presented its tail. Eventually the team managed to attach the rig to within a metre of the whale's tail and the buoy was quickly pulled into position using a pulley arrangement they had constructed. The new rig worked and also provided a new separate control line which the team could utilise. The team were now able to pull themselves up to within a metre of the thrashing tail, and each time the whale's tail would breach the surface, careful cuts would be made using the equipment. Eventually the team managed to cut the lines on both sides of the tail stock, and the trailing line from underneath, and the whale was freed. External links BDMLR homepage BDMLR Facebook fan page BBC News (21 January 2006) Lost whale dies after rescue bid Retrieved 21 January 2006 Animal charities based in the United Kingdom Animal welfare organisations based in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1988 1988 establishments in the United Kingdom