Horrific footage captured the moment surfers flocked to push the injured whale, which washed up on Bondi Beach, back to sea.
In the video and photos posted on Facebook, a group of swimmers can be seen standing next to the animal as it sits on the beach.
The original poster asked: “Does anyone have any videos of the injured dolphin on Bondi beach (backpackers rip) from March 26th Thursday? Especially the rescue efforts to push the Dolphin into the water.”
Some mistake this animal for a dolphin as others say it is a Blainville’s beaked whale – found in tropical to temperate waters around the world.
The whale can be seen playing with its fins and pooling blood on the waves.
“He is seriously injured and should not have been put back in the water. ORRCA (Cetaceans Rescue and Research Australia) should have contacted him,” one woman wrote in the post.
In a post on Instagram, Bondi Lifeguards confirmed that they were present and assisted with the rescue of the whale.
“The whale was exhausted and had many cuts and bruises,” Bondi Lifeguards wrote in their post.
“The boys gathered a group of men to help put it back in the water.
“Fortunately, the waves were so strong that he was able to float it, and put it back in the sea.
After a slow start, the whale eventually found a rhythm and was able to head out to sea.
ORRCA said they received reports of the incident on their phone but the whale had already been returned to the water by the time their team arrived.
“After this, the responders watched the area and tried to relocate the animal, as the risk of preventing these cases is usually very high,” the spokesperson told NewsWire.
“We fully recognize that when people encounter a distressed whale or dolphin, their instinct is to help, and this response comes from a place of compassion.
However, it is important to understand that depression is often a symptom of a problem, not the problem itself.
The spokesman urged the public not to try to push exhausted mammals into the water in the future – and to ring their phone instead.
“As air-breathing animals, they are not at risk of being on the beach,” the spokesman continued.
“In many cases, they may be unhealthy, injured, or confused, and transporting them may increase the risk or reduce the chance of a successful recovery.
“There are also risks to human health and safety, as marine mammals can carry zoonotic diseases, and trying to transport them can be physically dangerous.
ORRCA has responded to several rescues involving beaked whales in the past few weeks, including the March 19 rescue of a Blainville beaked whale found stranded at Stockton Beach in NSW.
“Sadly, the animal was found dead on arrival,” ORRCA wrote in a Facebook post.
“A necropsy was done to help us better understand the possible cause of death.
On March 21, another whale was reported stranded at Windang Beach, south of Wollongong.
The organization says the whale cannot be safely returned to the sea based on a veterinarian’s assessment.
Just a day later, the ORRCA said another whale had been found dead off the coast of Toowoon Bay on the NSW Central Coast.
“This is the third confirmed seizure of this type in as many days,” the ORRCA wrote on Facebook.
“Although this is unusual, it is important that we do not speculate on possible causes at this time.
“The findings from the necropsies may provide important information, and we will share updates as more information becomes available.”
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