Australian marine police rescued a juvenile humpback whale trapped in fishing nets off the coast of Sydney. Police send a search helicopter to waters near Bondi Beach after people reported a whale in distress.
A video from the New South Wales police showed the animal, who’s probably only one year old, struggling with what looked like a rope behind him.
“The whale appeared to have fish netting wrapped around it with a couple of floating buoys,” police superintendent Brad Monk told media on Monday.
“The whale was actually quite accommodating,” he said. “He actually was able to slow down to allow the police to do what they needed to do to help him. It was like he almost knew.”
Humpback whales migrate north from the cold Antarctic along Australia’s east coast to subtropical waters from June to about November, where they mate and give birth.
Every migrating season at least six whales get entangles in either fishing gear or shark nets, the Australian broadcaster ABC reported.
The whale was last seen heading further into deep water, Monk said.
The Animal Reader is an animal news website. Become a Friend of The Animal Reader and support animal journalism.