Stranded whale in Western Australian harbour blown up

Explosives have been used to put down a sickly humpback whale which washed up onto a sandbar off Western Australia's southwest coast. The 9.5m humpback whale became stranded in Albany in WA's southwest two weeks ago.

The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) had intended to let the whale die of natural causes but on Thursday decided to euthanase the animal with an explosive charge after it repositioned itself on a sandbar.



In a statement, DEC Albany district manager Mike Shepherd said the whale had moved a couple of metres from its original position, which was enough to stabilise the whale and kill it humanely.

"This was not an option that was available to us until now as the animal, even while terminally sick, was still strong enough to present a serious safety risk to DEC staff and volunteers," he said.

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