Following a public report of a whale carcass located some 500m off Peppermint Grove Beach, south of Bunbury, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) requested assistance from Surf Life Saving WA’s Westpac Helicopter to locate the carcass.
“Given the propensity for these carcasses to attract sharks, being able to locate and track its journey enables us to keep the public updated with advice and warnings around potential shark activity in their area,” said Surf Life Saving WA General Manager Lifesaving, Chris Peck.
Upon locating the carcass, the Westpac Helicopter confirmed the presence of two large sharks, a 4m tiger and 4.5m white, circling and feeding off the carcass.
“Through working closely with DPIRD in scenarios such as this, it continues to demonstrate the integral role that our Westpac Helicopters play in the State government’s shark mitigation strategy,” said Mr Peck.
The Westpac Helicopter will continue to keep track of the carcass with updates posted to the SLSWA twitter (opens in a new tab) account, and the Sharksmart website and app, and members of the public are encouraged to check these channels prior to heading to the beach.
