Girl, 10, leaps into action on K’gari to save stranded humpback whale
Incredible footage has captured how a young Australian girl leapt into action to save a stranded humpback whale on the island of K’gari – watch the video and take the poll
READING LEVEL: GREEN
A young girl’s quick thinking has helped save a stranded humpback whale, after it became stuck in shallow water near the entrance to K’gari (formerly Fraser Island).
Chantelle Smith posted incredible footage of her 10-year-old daughter Scarlet splashing water on the whale that was stuck in shallow water near the Wathumba Creek entrance of Queensland’s heritage-listed* sand island.
“It was talking to us,” she said. “The whale survived. Tide came up and he swam away.”
Ms Smith has been visiting the area on her jetski to see the whales for the past 20 years.
She said it was a very cool experience now that they knew the whale survived and was able to swim back out to sea.
“I’m happy now; to be honest, it actually ruined the rest of the beautiful day because I was just so sad wondering if it was going to actually get out,” she said.
“But until we heard that it did, it was all very sad because, you know, lots of whales die all the time from beaching*.”
She said they came across the whale on its own while they were jetskiing off the island and anchored next to the huge marine mammal*.
She said they kept splashing water on the whale to keep it wet but had to leave before authorities arrived. However, another couple stayed with the animal until the tide came back in.
“He managed to free himself then,” Ms Smith said.
“Another boat told me it had been reported as we were pulling up, so we knew that there was help on the way.
“We just kept him wet as possible, and I knew that it was probably going to be another couple of hours until the tide came in so he could swim back out.
“The mouth was wide open and we saw all of its baleens*, which is like hair.”
A Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation* spokesman said wildlife officers received a call about the stranded whale shortly after 9am on Sunday.
A spokesman said the whale freed itself when the water rose, not long after officers arrived at Wathumba Creek, a turquoise tidal estuary* on the western side of K’gari, about 46km from Hervey Bay.
The creek system transforms into a large saltwater lake packed with marine life at high tide, according to Fraser Coast Tourism and Events.
The area is vast and rarely visited by tourists, the tourism authority said.
WHY DO WHALES BEACH?
There are several reasons why whales and other marine mammals either alone or in a group. According to Whale and Dolphin Conservation* (WDC) Australia, single strandings on the shore often occur because the animal is old, sick, injured and/or lost.
The WDC site states that multiple strandings – when the same species comes ashore in a group – usually happen to species that have a lead animal and live in very tight social groups. Usually when they strand, it appears that either the leader has made a navigational* error, or one individual has become sick or wounded and led the rest of its pod to shore.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?
Seeing a beautiful whale, dolphin or other marine mammal stranded on land can be really upsetting. Australia is surrounded by water and our natural connection to marine life is ancient and continues today.
But there are steps we need to follow to keep ourselves and the animals safe.
Advice from Queensland’s Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation is that bystanders should immediately report the stranding before doing anything else.
For your safety and that of the animal, always keep your distance – it’s very important not to get too close to avoid injury or distress.
If you’re in Queensland as Scarlet and her mum were, have an adult call the Wildlife Hotline on 1300 130 372.
They will need to provide the following:
- location, including GPS coordinates if possible
- a description of what seems to be wrong with the animal
- a description and the type of animal
- any available photos
- their contact details
A Queensland Government officer or trained strandings responder in the relevant region will be contacted with the details of your sighting and will determine the appropriate response.
OTHER HOTLINES AROUND AUSTRALIA
NSW
National Parks and Wildlife Service 1300 072 757
VICTORIA
Whale and Dolphin Emergency Hotline 1300 136 017
Zoos Victoria Marine Response Unit 1300 245 678
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Australian Marine Wildlife Research and Rescue Organisation (AMWRRO) 24/7 hotline 08 8262 5452
National Parks and Wildlife Service SA 1300 650 411
TASMANIA
Marine Conservation Program Whale Hotline 0427 942 537
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Marine Wildwatch Hotline 1800 453 941
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GLOSSARY
- heritage-listed: provides formal recognition that a place or object has heritage significance for the community and should be protected under law
- beaching: grounded or stranded on a beach or shore
- mammal: any animal of which the female feeds her young on milk from her own body
- baleens: an elastic type of material forming thin plates that hang from the upper jaw on either side of the palate in toothless whales
- innovation: a new idea, device or method
- estuary: the wide part of a river at the place where it joins the sea
- conservation: plan for save or reduce use of animals and natural materials
- navigational: relating to the skill, process, or systems used to plan a route and travel from one place to another, including steering a ship or moving around within a website
EXTRA READING
Through Sir Attenborough’s eyes
Is this ‘flying dolphin’ real or fake?
Whale free after daring rescue
QUICK QUIZ
- What kind of whale did Ms Smith and her daughter Scarlet come across?
- The island of K’gari was previously known by what name?
- What did they do to try to help the whale until help arrived?
- How far from Hervey Bay was the whale found?
- How did the whale free itself?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
Audio to come
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Whale safety poster
Design and Draw a safety poster of the do’s and don’ts of what to do if coming across a stranded whale.
Your poster should include all the safety advice provided in the Kids News article and look effective and easy to read.
Share your poster with your classmates.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Visual Arts, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
Should people intervene when they see a stranded marine animal?
Yes – state the reasons
No – state the reasons
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there during Ms Smith and her daughter when they found the whale.
Create a conversation between two characters from the article – you may need or want to include yourself as one of the characters. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.
Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.