Humpback attacked by killer whales

A BADLY scarred juvenile humpback whale has washed up on to one of Perth's most popular beaches.

It is believed that it had been attacked by a pod of killer whales.

The seven-metre male, weighing up to seven tonnes, struggled and spouted spray and washed up three times on City Beach in Perth's west today.

Its struggle was compounded by the fact that the waves were breaking directly on to the shore, described as a shorebreak

The West Australian environment department's senior marine wildlife officer, Doug Coughran, said the one-year-old male had twice managed to get back out to sea after being washed up on the beach at about 7am.

But it was "wasting a lot of energy and for the first time in its life, is feeling its weight", Mr Coughran said.

He said it would probably have to be put down.

It had probably been migrating north when it was attacked by a pod of killer whales in an encounter that left it badly scarred from head to tail, he said
It was unlikely the whale would again manage to get back out to sea but any attempt to help it or euthanase it was too dangerous while the whale was struggling in a heavy shore break, Mr Coughran said.

He said while he and other onlookers were disturbed by the whale's obvious suffering, its beaching was probably a good sign since it indicated increasing humpback whale numbers off the West Australian coast.

"There have been a few beachings like this lately in and around Perth," Mr Coughran said.

"It could well mean there are greater numbers of whales out there."