SAINTE-ANNE-DE-SOREL, QUE. -- On Tuesday evening, a crowd gathered at Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel, just northeast of Montreal, to watch as the body of the humpback whale that had strayed far down the St. Lawrence was lifted out of the water.
The whale's body was spotted floating on Tuesday morning, near Varennes, after charming Montrealers for the better part of two weeks by swimming around their urban harbour.
Around 7 p.m., staff from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans tried to guide the whale's body gently through the water and lift it with a crane. A necropsy is scheduled for Wednesday.
Watch the video above to see the operation to try to lift the 9.5-metre mammal.
