16 hours ago
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.
