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Photo: CAROL PALMER / AFP
Several humpback whales got lost in an Australian river on their way to Antarctica.
The marine mammals have been sighted in the East Alligator River, in which there are actually crocodiles, in Kakadu National Park in northern Australia for a few days, as the national park administration announced.
Apparently, two whales have already found their way back into the sea.
At least one whale was sighted 20 kilometers above the river mouth on Saturday, as the national park manager Feach Moyle said.
"It's hard to tell if it's a whale or two," said Moyle, referring to the murky water.
Exclusion zone set up in national park
Whales are sometimes sighted off the coast of the Northern Territory in northern Australia, but according to the national park administration they have never lost their way into one of the national park's tropical rivers.
The whales are believed to have "taken the wrong turn," said Moyle on their way south.
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Humpback whales get lost in an Australian river: According to the national park manager, there has never been an incident like this
Photo: CAROL PALMER / AFP
A restricted zone was set up in the national park to protect day trippers in boats.
"The last thing we want is a collision between a boat and a whale in waters with crocodiles and zero visibility underwater," said the national administration.
Humpback whales can be 16 meters long and weigh 30 tons.
The crocodiles in the East Alligator River are therefore not a threat to them.
"Even a large crocodile wouldn't mess with them," said Moyle.
It was only in early August that a humpback whale incident occurred off the Australian coast.
Two people were attacked by the animal while snorkeling because it apparently wanted to protect its calf.
The incident took place on Ningaloo Reef in the north-west of the country.
A 29-year-old woman was hospitalized with multiple broken ribs.
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