A 20-ft long whale is battling for life after it got stranded in shallow waters near a islet about 15 kms off Kodiakarai coast.
Efforts are on by District Wildlife department personnel to rescue the whale and let it move into to deep waters, officials said.
The whale was noticed by a few local fishermen early this morning with half of its body above the water surface.
After an initial effort by them to rescue the whale failed, the local people informed district officials and forest department personnel.
Nagapattinam District Wildlife Warden Soundirapandian is leading the rescue team.