With whale season in full swing along the coast, local rescue teams have been busy, recently freeing a young whale who was tangled in ropes.
The 11 tonne whale was spotted off the Northern Beaches, and was attended to by the Large Whale Disentanglement Team from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
After making several cuts to the rope and removing it from around the whale’s body, the two to three-year-old mammal was left with just two small pieces of ropes on its body, which the team was confident would fall off in time.
Taking to social media, the NPWS praised ORRCA volunteers, the NSW Police Force Marine Rescue and Primary Industries and Regional Development for their help with the rescue, which occurred in late June.
The service also reminded the public that such rescues require specialist training and can be very dangerous. They again asked that boaters and water-goers maintain a 100m exclusion zone around whales.
Stranded, injured or entangled marine mammals can be reported to the ORRCA rescue hotline on 9415 3333, or the NPWS on 1300 072 757.