Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science (DES) is working out the best way to remove the body of a massive humpback whale from a beach near the popular camping area of Inskip Point near Rainbow Beach.
Campers and day visitors are being advised to stay away from the area, and not to get close or touch the whale as they can carry diseases.
The animal is understood to be nearly 11 metres long and weigh almost 18 tonnes.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) rangers have conducted a site inspection. Their preferred option is to transport the whale for burial and land disposal, but the steep dunes and the whale’s size and location are said to make this a difficult process.
The whale at Inskip Point is understood to weigh almost 18 tonnes. PIC: DES
An alternative option is to tow the animal back out to sea by vessel and securing it in mangroves in the Sandy Strait.
Authorities say strandings can happen for many different reasons, including natural mortality, and can occur anywhere along the Queensland coast. Whales can also die at sea and remain unseen by the public.
Last week, a dead humpback whale was found off River Heads, south of Hervey Bay.
The Parks & Wildlife Service team were able to free a 10-metre humpback whale which had become entangled in ropes close to Two Rocks, north of Perth. PIC: DBCA
“We can expect to see a small number of whale deaths and strandings each year during the annual migration,” the DES said in a statement. “This includes whales suffering from natural disease issues and juveniles being attacked by predators.”
But there are some happy endings when whales get into trouble. Across in Western Australia, members of the Parks & Wildlife Service team were last week able to help free a 10-metre humpback whale which had become entangled in ropes close to Two Rocks, north of Perth.
A two-vessel team worked in rough seas and dangerous conditions to get close to the whale and cut the rope. The whale was then able to swim free of the loosened ropes and continue its journey.
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How does something that big washup? You would think it would beach itself along way from the actual beach.