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Heartbreaking Footage Shows Struggling Whale and Her Calf Deeply Tangled in Shark Net Before Rescue

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A mother humpback whale and her calf became entangled in shark nets near Noosa Main Beach in Australia on Wednesday, Sept. 17
A Shark Control Program contractor freed the two whales from the net later that evening, but they were later seen swimming with pieces of netting still attached to them
Two other whales became caught in the same area

A heartbreaking video clip shows a mother humpback whale and her small calf caught in nets meant for sharks near Noosa Main Beach on the Sunshine Coast of Australia.

Drone footage captured by Geoff Aquiuno shows the moment the mother and her baby became trapped in a shark net, with the stressed mother rolling into the netting to go after her calf.

The two whales became entangled in a large shark net and struggled to free themselves, according to Australia's 7 News. The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) confirmed a Shark Control Program contractor was brought in to cut the whales loose from the tangled netting.

The mother and calf were reportedly freed from the net at about 11:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Sept. 17. At the time of the rescue, two other whales were trapped in the same netting.

“A humpback whale and calf have been successfully released after becoming entangled in a shark net at Noosa,” a DPI spokesperson said, according to 7News.

Dr. Olaf Meynecke, a mammal researcher at Griffith University in East Queensland, Australia, told The Guardian that humpback whales get caught in shark nets every year, but this was the first case involving four whales trapped at once.

While the mother and calf humpback whales have been freed, they were later observed with pieces of netting still attached to them.

There are 27 shark nets in Queensland and 51 in New South Wales, The Guardian reports. Whale mothers and newborn calves tend to migrate south, which puts them at risk of becoming entangled.

According to the Queensland government, the shark nets are large mesh nets designed to "catch sharks that pass through the area," particularly sharks over 2 meters long.

In July, the New South Wales government announced a trial period for removing the controversial nets near three beaches in Sydney and the Central Coast. The trial was paused following a fatal shark attack in Dee Why. Mercury Psillakis, a professional surfer, died from the attack. He was 57, per the Australian Broadcasting Company.

Whale entanglements have increased in the past 10 to 15 years, Meynecke told The Guardian, with the vast majority of incidents involving mothers and calves.

"It appears that the adults are actually aware of the danger – and are likely communicating about the places of danger as well. But the calves obviously don't know, and get entangled. Then the mums freak out, and stay nearby, then they are getting entangled as well," Meynecke told the outlet.

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Whale scientist Dr. Vanessa Pirotta told The Guardian the footage of the whales caught in the net off Noosa was "heartbreaking."

She said calves in that situation were particularly vulnerable – still reliant on their mothers for milk, stressed, and at risk of drowning in deep waters.

"Every entanglement is likely to be different, but if it really restricts their movement and then ultimately doesn't allow them to do anything, they may literally drown in shark nets," Pirotta told the outlet.