Humpback whale makes it out of dangerous crocodile river safely

• News & Highlights

A humpback whale which accidentally ended up in the East Alligator River in the Northern Territory in Australia has made its way safely back into the ocean.

 
The whale is the first of its kind to swim over 20km up the river, which winds through the Kakadu National Park.

According to BBC, this weird incident caused fears that the whale may get stuck in the shallow water or hit a boat. The crocodiles that live in the river were also a concern, however, only if the whale ended up stuck and defenceless.

The whale made its way in the river for 17 days before returning to the ocean to carry on its migration.

‘We are really happy, because it was getting to the point where tides were causing us to be more than a bit concerned,’ Northern Territory Government scientist Carol Palmer told ABC Radio Darwin.

 
While the whale was still making its way around the river, Palmer and her team were putting together plans in case it became stuck or injured.