Baby whale dies, another near death
Matthew Kruk
Baby whale dies, another near death
AAP
November 24, 2009 04:12pm
A BABY humpback whale has died after being stranded on a West Australian
beach and another stranded baby humpback has limited chances of
survival, the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) says.
A 6m baby humpback died in Kalbarri, in WA's midwest, at Chinaman's
Beach near the Murchison River mouth today.
A DEC spokeswoman said the juvenile whale was in bad condition, was ill
and had parasites on it.
Another 6m humpback has been stranded at Redgate Beach, near Margaret
River, in WA's southwest.
"The prognosis is very poor for that one,'' the spokeswoman said.
DEC staff are monitoring the progress of the whale and it is possible it
could be euthanased.
Both whales are young and still reliant on their mothers, the DEC
spokeswoman said.
Humpbacks are typically about 5m when they are born.
The number of whale fatalities in WA comes hand in hand with increased
whale numbers, DEC says.