Whale, I’ll be stuffed! Three humpback whales visit croc-infested East Alligator River in Kakadu. No, seriously!

THREE humpback whales have traded the freezing waters of the Antarctic for the tropical, croc-infested waters of the East Alligator River in Kakadu

One of the humpback whales spotted in the East Alligator River. Picture: NT Government

THREE humpback whales have traded the cold waters of the Antarctic for the croc-infested waters of the East Alligator River.

The three whales were spotted in the river earlier this week. And while two have since left the river one is still there.

Whales are occasionally seen in Top End waters during their migration up north from Antarctica.

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The unusual event has prompted Kakadu National Park staff to create an exclusion zone around the mouth of the river in an effort to protect the whale from boats and to prevent it from becoming spooked and swimming further upstream.

One of the humpback whales spotted in the East Alligator River. Picture: NT Government

The public has been banned from entering the highlighted area of the East Alligator River as a whale has made itself at home there for the time being. Picture: NT Government

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“We have put an exclusion zone in place from the mouth of the East Alligator River to a point approximately 30km upstream for the welfare of the whale and for the safety of people who may have been considering going to the area by boat,” the Park Australia spokesman said.

“The last thing we want is a collision between a boat and whale in waters where crocodiles are prevalent and visibility underwater is zero.

One of the humpback whales spotted in the East Alligator River. Picture: NT Government.

“We also don’t want boats to inadvertently force the whale further up the river.

The spokesman said the whale was not in distress at the moment and it was not an emergency situation.

“The best case scenario is for the whale to make its way back out to sea. Kakadu National Park and NT Government scientists will continue to monitor the whale in the coming days,” the spokesman said.

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