Surfers have close encounter with humpbacks as young whale freed after being caught in shark nets off Kirra
SURFERS had a close encounter with a mother and calf humpback off Kirra this morning just as another young whale was freed from shark nets.
Pets & wildlife
Don't miss out on the headlines from Pets & wildlife. Followed categories will be added to My News.
SURFERS had a close encounter with a mother and calf humpback off Kirra this morning just as another young whale was freed from shark nets.
Minutes after whale rescuers cut free an 8m juvenile humpback that had shark nets tangled around its head at about 8.30am this morning, onlookers were thrilled to see two other whales pop up just 30m from surfers.
Matthew Howard, from Channel 10, was still on scene following the whale rescue and said the mother and calf were just 50-100m offshore and moving quickly along the Kirra coastline.
They headed back out to sea as they passed Snapper Rocks.
KIWI TOURISTS RETURNING TO COAST
“They were inside the nets and went really close to the rock wall and some surfers,” he said.
“I spoke to the surfers afterwards and they said it was an amazing experience ... they felt safe around them.
“The surfers just want the nets gone, they don’t feel threatened and say they are in a shark’s territory.”
The 8m subadult whale that became tangled in nets had a few cuts but appeared to be in otherwise, fine condition.
Rescue crews responded to free the mammal after first reports came in at about 6.20am.
Several adult whales were also in the area.
Kirra resident Maxeen Lee said she spotted the whale when she was swimming at the beach earlier this morning and had watched the ordeal unfold for about an hour.
“He is not good … he has probably been there all night,” she said.
“All the other whales are in the background splashing, like they are talking to him.”
The entanglement is one of many this whale season with a baby humpback whale drowning in shark nets off Bilinga while its distressed mother watched in July.
Several other whales have also become entangled in nets on the southern Gold Coast beaches this year.
Disturbing discovery: Bush turkeys shot with arrows
A pair of native bush turkeys have been spotted on the Gold Coast impaled by arrows, sparking an urgent search by wildlife authorities.
Outrage as ibis seen caged beside pub’s rubbish bins
Images of an ibis caged beside bins at a popular Gold Coast pub have caused uproar on social media. Now authorities have weighed in. Here’s their verdict on what happened.