A new hope has been offered amid fears that the beloved white whale Migaloo has died after the corpse of an albino hunchback was dragged to shore east of Victoria.
On Saturday, confrontational photos of the whale’s body appeared on a Mallacoota beach in East Gippsland.
Scientists and officials are working to determine if the dead whale is Migaloo by taking a genetic sample from the body and photographing the tail (tail) to compare it to previous images.
Camera icon A white whale has been dragged to a beach in the far east of Victoria, which has raised questions about whether it could be the famous white whale, Migaloo. Peter Coles Credit: supplied
But from photos and images of the scene, wildlife scientist Dr. Vanessa Pirotta, and the White Whale Research Center team believe it could possibly be another whale.
“Right now we’ve come to a very, not 100% conclusion … this could be another whale and not Migaloo,” Dr. Pirotta told ABC News on Sunday.
“Genetic testing will tell us essentially 100% whether it’s Migaloo or not. But right now, the team and I have been working on an initial assessment, we’re not in the field just based on what we’re seeing, it’s which most likely will not (Migaloo).
“We are preparing the puzzle, but it seems that at this stage, without genetic testing, Migaloo is not likely to be around 50%, but I will say with caution that we need genetic testing.”
It comes after the Marine Mammal Foundation also said that “an early assessment of gender and skin degradation suggests it’s not Migaloo.”
Dr. Pirotta cited darkened skin and barnacles in the throat as key features they found while evaluating the images.
Camera IconMigaloo offers an amazing show in Port Douglas. In-depth photography, Quicksilver. Credit: supplied
“It looks like it’s very likely to be a white whale or at least a whale that has had a darker pigmentation that has potentially fainted, and has been razed to the ground and has resisted overtime,” he said.
“When you can see the barnacles attached to that black area, that indicates it was outer skin.”
No official conclusion is expected for a few days while the Victoria Department of Environment, Territory, Water and Planning assesses the situation and tests.
Migaloo has brought joy to Australians and people around the world for decades, with thousands of people crying on the east coast over the years in hopes of spotting the rare animal.
It is estimated that he was born in 1986 and was first seen in Byron Bay in 1991.
Until 2011, it was believed to be the only white whale in the world and there are only three or four more left.
Migaloo’s name means “white man” in several indigenous languages and there are special Queensland and Commonwealth laws to protect him because of his uniqueness.
It has not been officially seen since 2020 after losing its tracking chip.