Beached whale calf one of seven (Australia)

A beached whale was found dead on Fraser Island on Sunday.

18th July 2012 (Hannah Busch). THE body of a stranded juvenile whale found on Fraser Island on Sunday will be left to decompose naturally.

The whale is the second humpback calf to have died in the past two months and is one of seven whale calves stranded on the island in the past two years.

The bodies of the two humpback calves have both been moved behind foredunes to decompose out of the way of vehicles and campers.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Great Sandy Regional Manager Ross Belcher said all seven whales stranded in the past two years were on the eastern beach of the island between Dilli Village and Waddy Point.

“While one juvenile humpback whale was successfully assisted back into the ocean in August 2011, the remainder were either already dead or died soon after stranding,” he said.

Six of the stranded calves were humpback whales and one identified as a minke whale.

An adult cuviers beaked whale was also found dead on Fraser Island in July 2011 and believed to have died of a spinal disease rather than stranding.

The Fraser Coast is expected to see increasing numbers of beached whales as the population bounces back decades after the end of commercial whaling.

More than 14,000 whales are expected to migrate past Hervey Bay on their way back to Antarctic waters.

The former Department of Environment and Resource Management said the increased number of strandings was a sign the whale population was recovering.

“Young whales born during the migration, rather than when the whales reach north Queensland’s warmer waters are particularly vulnerable to stranding,” Mr Belcher said

About 36 stranded turtles have also been reported to QPWS this year.

Stranded marine animals can be reported by phoning the RSPCA Queensland hotline on 1300 264 625.

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