At 9:30am on Thursday 21 March, 2024, the ORRCA 24/7 Rescue Hotline received a call from members of the public who witnessed a live whale calf stranded near Windang.
Specialist ORRCA Rescue Team Members arrived within 30 minutes to find the whale calf had sadly passed away.
The whale was identified as a sperm whale calf, a deep water species of toothed whale. Sheets were placed over the young whale as to preserve it for necropsy through Taronga Zoo Sydney and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, to help gain an understanding as to how it came about to be on the shores at Windang.
The young whale was removed from the beach this afternoon with consultation with Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council, Windang Surf Club, and the City of Wollongong.
