Baby whale believed drowned

A baby humpback whale with an umbilical cord attached was found dead on on North Stradbroke Island, Australia yesterday, July 5.


The whale was 4.5 metres long and only a few days old. Dr Kathy Townsend from the University of Queensland Marine Research Station at Dunwich said the cause of death did not look suspicious.

"We suspect it was separated from its mother, got caught up in the surf, got exhausted in the surf, rolled over and drowned and washed up on Frenchman's. "There's no external damage; it looks like it just drowned," she said.

Representatives from Queensland Parks and Wildlife and the University of Queensland Marine Research Station at Dunwich will take measurements and samples. They will later work together with the traditional owners of the land and Redland Museum members to determine whether an autopsy is needed and how to dispose of the whale carcass.