Sad end for whale stranded in 'unusual' event at Aussie beach
A sperm whale that captivated the world has sadly died on Tuesday morning.
A huge sperm whale that amazed beachgoers when it swam close to shore in Western Australia has sadly died this morning.
While video of the large mammal has made international headlines, its last few moments alive at sea were tragic. Authorities cordoned off the beach at Rockingham, southwest of Perth, to inspect the whale and noticed large blisters from the sun had burst on its back.
Officials believe the whale's advanced age played a role in its death, noting its poor condition suffering from sunburn after being stuck in the shallows for an extended period of time. A post-mortem will now be carried out to better understand the unusual event.
Yahoo News Australia first reported the concerns about the whale’s health on Monday, after it received a call from Fremantle father of two Ori Weiser who was watching it at Rockingham beach. Speaking with Yahoo News Australia this morning, he said its death had left him feeling really “sad”.
He’d spent hours watching the wild creature when it appeared just metres from the shore, as the Department of Biodiversity and Conservation (DBCA) held back crowds of onlookers as they worked to assess its health.
“I’m really bummed out that we couldn’t save him,” he said. “No one was able to naturally approach him or even say bye.”
Weiser was particularly saddened that the whale had been hit by a boat on Sunday, near North Coogee.
"He was already sick, but I'm sure that didn't help. When I saw him the following day he wasn't moving much anymore" Weiser said.
Early sign whale was suffering
On Saturday, Ori had been part of a group of men at Port Beach who swam close to the sperm whale and tried to coax it back out to sea.
Although he was captivated by the amazing size of the animal, he also immediately had concerns for its health.
“We got very close. I was looking near its mouth and eye and it appeared sad and tired. But it was massive. Every time he moved his tail or blew his hole it was incredible,” he said.
“In the moment you’re put in your place — a little human in front of a dinosaur.” You can read more about Ori’s encounter with the whale here.
Authorities plan to remove carcass from water
In a statement DBCA confirmed the whale died at around 6:30am on Tuesday (local time), two hours after marine officers watched it move towards a sand bar near Garden Island.
Department spokesman Mark Cugley told the ABC wildlife officials will now work to better understand the whale's death and what was behind the unusual occurrence.
"We will be looking at certainly doing some post-mortem or necropsy analysis as well to understand anything more we can about the death of the whale and also about this species, given it's quite unusual to have a sperm whale in this area of Perth," he said.
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In the meantime, authorities are thanking the local community for all their help in recent days. "We would just like to say thank you to everyone involved in this incident, including the community," a DBCA spokesperson said in a statement.
"Crews are maintaining a safety perimeter around the whale with additional vessels joining the operation early this afternoon, to assist with moving the carcass to a more secure location in the water, away from the beach. The next stage of the operation will involve removing the carcass out of the water."
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