Rare ‘majestic’ creature spotted swimming with dolphins in Australia. See the video
.jpg "The rare southern right whale was spotted with dolphins near Bunbury Lighthouse in Australia.")
Visitors near the Bunbury Lighthouse in Australia recently spotted a massive, slow-moving creature close to the shoreline. It was a rare southern right whale.
The whale was traveling south along the beach, according to an Aug. 24 Facebook post from Dolphin Discovery Centre. After witnesses reported concerns that the creature was entangled, the center sent a team and a drone to check out the scene.
Experts said the whale was migrating through Geographe Bay, which is typical for this time of year.
“They are very comfortable in the bay and also in shallow water, even in the surf. They do travel usually very slow,” the center said in the post.
A video shared by the center shows the whale swimming alongside several bunbury dolphins.
The team determined that the whale had recently suffered a boat propeller strike to its head and the back of its body, the center said. The wounds appeared to be healing, but officials warned boaters to be wary of whales and follow boating guidelines.
“The whale was swimming and behaving normal and was not entangled,” the center said. “It is a reminder to all boat users to please travel slowly and keep an eye out for whales and dolphins.”
Social media users shared their excitement about the sighting.
“Absolutely stunning, thank you for sharing,” one person commented on Facebook.
“Just so majestic and such peaceful creatures, we are very fortunate to have them in our own backyard,” another Facebook user wrote.
“That’s spectacular,” a third person said.
Bunbury Lighthouse is in southwest Australia, about 100 miles south of Perth.
This story was originally published August 24, 2023 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Rare ‘majestic’ creature spotted swimming with dolphins in Australia. See the video."
