Sei whale carcass remains at Victoria’s 13th Beach
Authorities have warned people to stay away from a dead whale at a Barwon Heads beach after it washed ashore days ago but that hasn’t stopped residents from taking a closer look.
Geelong
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A Barwon Heads beach remains closed to swimmers after a large dead whale washed up on the shore on Thursday.
An Environment Department spokeswoman confirmed on Sunday the whale carcass remained on the shore of Thirteenth Beach, just west of The Bluff.
“A warning remains in place due to increased shark activity in the area – please monitor the VicEmergency website or app for updates to the situation and warnings,” she said.
“We remind everyone that it is an offence for people or their dogs to be within 300 metres of a whale.”
Despite the warning, beachgoers could be seen looking at and taking photos of the decomposing carcass on Sunday morning.
The beach was closed to swimmers and surfers due to an increase in shark activity with signage in place however there were no signs urging people to keep their distance from the whale.
An advice message posted to Vic Emergency’s website said carcasses could attract sharks to the area and they may come closer to shore than normal.
“While it is not uncommon for sharks to be present off the Victorian coast, you should exercise additional caution in the area,” it said.
The department considers public safety and logistics when managing carcasses which have washed ashore.
This work will continue into next week.
Wildlife officers and park rangers are helping with the carcass.
The community can monitor the situation via Vic Emergency with an update scheduled to be provided on Thursday.
Whales are protected under the Wildlife Act regardless of whether they are dead or alive.
In January, a 6m-long whale carcass washed ashore near Apollo Bay.
Authorities did not know what species that whale was or how it died.
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Originally published as Sei whale carcass remains at Victoria’s 13th Beach
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