Whale Beached in Amazon

Frantic villagers yesterday splashed water to try to save the life of a whale beached in a river in the Amazon rain forest 1,000 miles from the ocean. The 18-foot minke whale was stuck on a sandbar in the Tapajos River in Brazil. "It apparently got separated from its group and swam upstream," said a Brazilian biologist. "It's very unusual."

The back of the 12-ton beast was exposed to the hot sun, and volunteers attempted to protect the whale's skin and keep it cool as scientists worked to dislodge it and return it to the sea. (More whale stories.)