Frantic mission to rescue whale calf trapped in shark net captured on camera
A whale calf that became stuck in shark nets at Currumbin on the Gold Coast this morning has been freed.
The animal was spotted in trouble by people exercising at a surf club at about 5.30am and they raised the alarm.
A frantic operation involving Sea World experts was launched and it was freed after about 45 minutes.
Last month another mammal was rescued after becoming trapped in shark nets off the coast of Noosa.
Drone footage was captured of the tired humpback heavily ensnared in the nets off Noosa Main Beach by hobbyist drone pilot Tom Loubardi, prompted a rescue mission.
“I was very sad, I am trying to record as much as I can because I love animals and I love whales a lot,” he said.
Wildlife advocates have called for shark nets to be removed after data was published about the number of endangered and non-target marine life that are caught and often killed each year.
AÂ report on the 2023-2024 season found 325 of the 376 animals caught in NSW were non-targeted, critically endangered species, including turtles, dolphins and whales.
The mayor of Australia’s most iconic beach has called for shark nets to be removed from Bondi as they create “a false sense of safety”.
“(They) are only 150m long, six metres high and set at a depth of about 10m. They’re not there to actually create a barrier between swimmers and sharks, but they sort of help disrupt some of the swimming patterns,” mayor Paula Masselo said.
“Australia has a global responsibility to protect vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered species,” Sea Shepherd Australia’s Managing Director Jeff Hansen said.