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Humpback whale: back to freedom (symbolic image)
Photo: Buddhilini de Soyza / imago images / Cover-Images
A young humpback whale that got caught with its tail fin in a so-called shark net off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland is free.
Helpers fought for the life of the marine mammal for more than two days.
Although the rescuers did not manage to cut through some of the remains of the net, which were wrapped very tightly around the fin, the animal could now continue its annual migration relatively unhindered, reported the broadcaster 9News.
Residents discovered the whale on Wednesday and alerted the authorities.
Since then, employees of the Ministry of Fisheries and the Sea World theme park had worked tirelessly to rescue him from his dangerous position.
He was caught in a 200-meter net that was attached to two heavy anchors.
Discussion about shark nets
According to the authorities, the humpback whale got entangled in the shark net off the coast of Coolangatta on the Gold Coast and dragged it south with it.
The incident sparked new discussions about the use of nets to keep sharks off the beaches.
Animal rights activists are calling for these to be removed at least at the time of the whale migration along the Australian coasts.
There are solutions to ensure the safety of the beaches without endangering the wildlife, the news site »news.com.au« quoted the shark researcher Leonardo Guida.
"Get the nets out and get drones in the air," he said.
It is "incredibly frustrating" to experience the same thing every year.
Dozens of whales got caught in the installations in recent years.
On the part of the regional government, it was said that the safety of swimmers is the top priority - they want to hold on to the nets for the time being.
However, the actual usefulness of the networks is controversial.
bbr / dpa
