Stranded sperm whale filmed with swimmers in Australia dies

Viral footage showed swimmers stroking the huge mammal in shallow waters
Lydia Chantler-Hicks12 December 2023

A sperm whale filmed surrounded by swimmers "dangerously close" to shore in Australia has died.

Footage that went viral over the weekend showed swimmers stroking the huge mammal after it appeared in shallow waters off Leighton Beach, near Perth in western Australia.

Australia's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) reportedly confirmed the whale - thought to measure around 15m (49ft) - died on Tuesday morning local time.

The whale had become stuck on a sandbar around 70m offshore, but managed to dislodge itself around 4.30am.

It was observed "gingerly" swimming around 200m, but died soon after, around 6.30am. Its death was confirmed by marine scientists.

"We were pretty aware very quickly that it wasn't in good condition," said DBCA spokesman Mark Cugley.

"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."

Experts were due to attempt moving the whale's carcass to a "more secure location in the water", before eventually removing it from the water for a post-mortem.

Officials had previously said the whale may have needed to be euthanised because of its condition, and they urged members of the public to avoid gathering to spectate, which they said could cause the animal further distress.

Footage of people swimming around the whale went viral over the weekend.

Marine biologists warned that the animal's behaviour was “unusual and perilous” and warned swimmers that approaching sperm whales in the water was risky.

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions also issued a warning to water users that the whale may attract sharks.

Sperm whales are rarely seen close to shore. They are amongst the largest animals on the planet and can live for up to 70 years.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in