Paddleboarder Receives Gentle Nudge from Protective Whale Mother off Western Australia Coast
Point Ann, WA – โขStunning drone footage captured a close encounter โขoff the coast of Western โฃAustralia this โweekend, revealing a paddleboarder approaching a southern โคright whale mother and her calf too closely. The incident, which occurred near Point Ann – approximately 538 kilometers southeast of Perth – shows the adult whale gently nudging the โpaddleboarder after they actively paddled towards the marine mammals.
The footage shows the individual using their flippers to propel themselves closer to the whales, continuing to film even asโ the protective mother approached. While no injuriesโ were reported, the incident has sparked renewed concern about human interference with vulnerable whale populations.
Western Australian regulations strictly prohibit swimming with, feeding, or โtouchingโข whales. Guidelines mandate a minimum distance of โ100 meters between humans and whales if an encounter occurs.
“[Any sort of human interaction like this] does produce short-term impacts โon the whales,but the more and more this happens the more energy โit’ll have to use,” explained โDr. Kateโ Sprogis,a whale โฃresearcher at โคthe โUniversity of Western Australia. point Ann is a critical โคresting and nursing ground for endangered southern right whales,where mothers conserve energy โafter their long migration.
Increasingly Common Disturbances
The โขincident highlights a growing trend of disruptive behaviorโฃ around whales, fueledโ by โคa desireโฃ for close-up encounters.Wildlife cinematographer Blair Ranford, who operatesโ under research and commercial filming permits, noted similar incidents are becoming increasingly frequent.
“sadly โwe sawโข it โขoff Perth recently with the two mum and calf southern right[s],”โ Ranford said. He described a recentโค scene โwithโข “seven โor eight drones, โfour or fiveโ paddleboarders, three โor four jetโ skis, twoโ boats,” lamenting the lack of respect shown โฃto theโค wildlife. โ”That’s โnot respecting the wildlife.”
Protecting a Vulnerable Species
Southern right whales are a protected species,โฃ andโข disturbances can have significant consequences for their โขhealth and reproductive success. Experts urge the public to โobserve these magnificent creatures โfrom a safe โdistance and to report any violations of wildlife โฃprotection regulations.
Imageโฃ captions:
* โฃ โ Point Ann is located at the fitzgerald River โขNational Park. (ABC News: Robert koenigluck)
*โข Ocean withโฃ paddleboard floating on top, a fin ofโ a whale โbreaching the water.
Keywords: Southern โขRight Whale, Western Australia, Point Ann, Whaleโฃ Encounter, Paddleboarding, Drone Footage, Wildlife Protection, Marine conservation, Whale Calf,โค Endangered Species, wildlife Tourism, Kate Sprogis, Blair Ranford.