
Young Humpback gets lost in Bunbury and finds unlikely ally
A young Humpback Whale travelling along the WA coastline on its northward migration from Antarctica got a bit lost and ended up in Koombana Bay but was guided back to safety by a friendly pod of dolphins.
Dolphin Discovery Centre volunteers spotted an animal in the bay that was too large to be a dolphin and quickly identified a whale near the Outer Harbour.
'After observing the animal from the air and vessel it appeared to be in good health and was not entangled which was quite a relief to see' the Dolphin Discovery Centre wrote in a Facebook post.
What happened next was an extraordinary example of cohesion and connection between different species of marine wildlife.
'The dolphins took over and while playing and interacting with each other they slowly guided their large cousin out of the bay towards the deeper waters of Geographe Bay' The Dolphin Discovery Centre revealed.
The drone footage captured by the environmental charity shows the young humpback playing on the surface of the water with four dolphins, before a wide shot reveals the whale being guided to deeper water by the dolphins. The drone footage reveals the whale being guided to deeper water by the dolphins. Credit: Dolphin Disovery Centre / Facebook
It can be a worrying sign if whales take shelter on their northward migration.
'Sometimes it happens that an animal gets spooked by a predator, is poorly or injured or might have a fishing gear entanglement. These animals then often seek for shelter in calmer and more shallow parts to rest up' The Dolphin Discovery Centre shared on Facebook.
The video was flooded with comments from people who were amazed by the footage.
'The Amazing Creation of the Animal World. The unseen, unsensed connection they have to support, guide, protect and provide' one person wrote.
'Isn't nature amazing?! What a great story and fantastic footage' another commented.
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Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
Young Humpback gets lost in Bunbury and finds unlikely ally
A young Humpback Whale travelling along the WA coastline on its northward migration from Antarctica got a bit lost and ended up in Koombana Bay but was guided back to safety by a friendly pod of dolphins. Dolphin Discovery Centre volunteers spotted an animal in the bay that was too large to be a dolphin and quickly identified a whale near the Outer Harbour. 'After observing the animal from the air and vessel it appeared to be in good health and was not entangled which was quite a relief to see' the Dolphin Discovery Centre wrote in a Facebook post. What happened next was an extraordinary example of cohesion and connection between different species of marine wildlife. 'The dolphins took over and while playing and interacting with each other they slowly guided their large cousin out of the bay towards the deeper waters of Geographe Bay' The Dolphin Discovery Centre revealed. The drone footage captured by the environmental charity shows the young humpback playing on the surface of the water with four dolphins, before a wide shot reveals the whale being guided to deeper water by the dolphins. The drone footage reveals the whale being guided to deeper water by the dolphins. Credit: Dolphin Disovery Centre / Facebook It can be a worrying sign if whales take shelter on their northward migration. 'Sometimes it happens that an animal gets spooked by a predator, is poorly or injured or might have a fishing gear entanglement. These animals then often seek for shelter in calmer and more shallow parts to rest up' The Dolphin Discovery Centre shared on Facebook. The video was flooded with comments from people who were amazed by the footage. 'The Amazing Creation of the Animal World. The unseen, unsensed connection they have to support, guide, protect and provide' one person wrote. 'Isn't nature amazing?! What a great story and fantastic footage' another commented.


7NEWS
27-05-2025
- 7NEWS
Cockatoo caught on camera near wires at Queensland rocket launch site amid technical troubles
Cow paddocks, Vegemite and now a cockatoo — Gilmour Space Technologies' latest failed rocket launch couldn't get more Aussie. The Queensland aerospace trailblazer was forced to cancel the highly anticipated launch of its 23-metre Eris rocket on May 16 due to a last-minute electrical fault. Almost two weeks after the start of Australia's first locally-made rocket from the purpose-built Bowen Orbital Spaceport on a former cow paddock was abruptly aborted, an unlikely suspect has emerged: a cheeky cockatoo caught on camera suspiciously close to some critical wiring. Gilmour Space themselves shared a photo of the curious cockatoo on Facebook with a cheeky caption: 'Not saying this is the root cause of our electrical issues ... but we're not ruling him out!' Comments flooded in, mixing humour with disbelief: 'Lucky he didn't launch, could have turned into a flamin' galah,' one said. Another quipped, 'So computers have bugs and rockets have cockatoos.' Another commented, 'Could this be any more Aussie?' Adding to the Aussie flavour, the rocket's payload included a jar of Vegemite — the iconic salty yeast spread that's a staple in homes across the country. Some say the cockatoo might have been lured by the unmistakable aroma. 'It can smell the Vegemite, how Australian,' one Facebook post said. While the bird hasn't been officially named the culprit, Gilmour Space confirmed it might have been 'at best a contributing factor' in the electrical fault that led to the launch being called off. Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox summed it up: 'This is what happens – in all seriousness – when you are launching a rocket out in the elements.' Gilmour Space told 7NEWS they're continuing to investigate the issues and making good progress toward fixes. 'Our team is continuing to investigate the issues identified during our last launch attempt. 'We're making good progress and expect to begin implementing fixes soon. 'We'll share an update on the next launch window as soon as it's confirmed.'

Sky News AU
15-05-2025
- Sky News AU
First ever Australian-built rocket's launch delayed as issue discovered hours before scheduled take-off
The launch of the first ever Australian-built rocket hoping to reach orbit has been delayed after an issue was discovered just hours before its scheduled take-off. Gilmour Space Technologies is hoping to make history when its Eris rocket launches for the first time from Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north Queensland, and a launch window of between 7.30am - 5.30pm on Thursday had been set. But the Gold Coast-based rocket company provided an update about 6.30am on Thursday morning, sharing that an issue has been identified in the ground support system during overnight checks. 'We're now in an extended hold while we work through it,' a post on the Gilmour Space Technologies' Facebook page said. The company is now hoping to launch on Friday morning. Bowen area residents have been asked to observe all hazard areas for land, sea and air that are in place on launch days. Gilmour Space Technologies announced in February that a launch window starting no earlier than March 15 had been set for Eris' maiden flight, which hoped to make history as the first Australian-designed and built rocket to reach orbit. The news came after the company was given the green light by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and Airservices Australia. Co-founder and chief executive Adam Gilmour highlighted that delays are a 'normal part of rocket launches' that can last from hours to days or even weeks, often caused by technical issues or weather conditions. "Safety is always the top priority. We'll only launch when we're ready, and when conditions are appropriate," Mr Gilmour said in the February announcement. He pointed out 'the first launch is always the hardest' as getting a rocket to reach orbit is a 'highly complex engineering challenge'. "It's almost unheard of for a private rocket company to launch successfully to orbit the first time,' Mr Gilmour said. 'Whether we make it off the pad, reach max Q, or get all the way to space, what's important is that every second of flight will deliver valuable data that will improve our rocket's reliability and performance for future launches." Mr Gilmoir said there are only six countries in the world regularly launching rockets into space using their own technology, and 'Australia could soon be one of them'.