Shocking footage has captured the moment swimmers rallied to push an injured whale back into the waves after it washed up on Bondi Beach.
In videos and images uploaded to Facebook, a group of swimmers can be seen standing around the animal as it lies on the water’s edge.
The original poster asks, “Does anyone have any video of the injured dolphin (backpacker being torn apart) at Bondi Beach on Thursday 26th March? Specifically the rescue attempt to push the dolphin back into the water.”
Some people mistake this animal for a dolphin, but others point out that it is a Brembill’s beaked whale, found in tropical to temperate waters around the world.
The whale is seen suffering from a puncture wound and blood pooling in the waves.
“He was seriously injured and should not have been pushed back into the water. ORRCA should have been contacted,” another woman wrote in the post.
Bondi lifeguards confirmed in an Instagram post that they took part in and assisted in the whale rescue.
“The whale was exhausted and had numerous cuts and lacerations,” Bondi Lifeguards said in a post.
“The boys worked together to get it back into the water.
“Luckily there were enough waves to float it back into the ocean.
“The whale got off to a slow start, but eventually found a rhythm and got out to sea.”
ORRCA said it received a report of the incident through its hotline, but by the time the team arrived the whale had already been released back into the ocean.
“Following this, our response personnel monitored the area and attempted to relocate the animal, as the risk of re-stranding is often very high in such cases,” a spokesperson told NewsWire.
“We clearly recognize that when people come across a stranded whale or dolphin, their instinct is to help, and that their response comes from a place of compassion.
“However, it is important to understand that strandings are often a symptom of an underlying problem, rather than the problem itself.”
A spokesperson urged the public not to try to push stranded marine mammals back into the ocean in the future and to call the hotline.
“As they are air-breathing animals, they are not immediately at risk from being on the beach,” the spokesperson continued.
“Patients are often unwell, injured, or disoriented, and moving them can cause further harm or reduce the likelihood of successful rehabilitation.
“There are also risks to human health and safety as marine mammals can transmit zoonotic diseases and attempting to relocate them is physically dangerous.
ORRCA has already responded to several rescues involving beaked whales in the past few weeks, including the rescue of a stranded Brenville’s beaked whale off Stockton Beach in New South Wales on March 19.
“Unfortunately, this animal was found dead on arrival,” ORRCA wrote in a Facebook post.
“A necropsy was performed to better understand the potential cause of death. After the necropsy, the animal was buried in Worimi country.”
On March 21, another whale was reported stranded on the shores of Windan Beach, south of Wollongong.
The organization said that after veterinarian examination, it was not possible to safely release the whale back into the ocean.
Just one day later, ORRCA announced that another whale had been found dead on the shores of Toowoon Bay on the NSW Central Coast.
“This is the third confirmed stranding of this type in just a few days,” ORRCA wrote on Facebook.
“While this is unusual, it is important not to speculate on potential causes at this stage.
“Findings from the autopsy may provide important insights and we will share updates as more information becomes available.”
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