{"id":423107,"date":"2026-01-19T11:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T11:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/423107\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T11:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T11:10:13","slug":"manly-community-attempts-to-save-rare-pygmy-killer-whale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/423107\/","title":{"rendered":"Manly community attempts to save rare pygmy killer whale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Crowds watched on in angst as lifeguards and marine rescue organisations attempted to rescue a twice-beached pygmy killer whale on Manly Beach this afternoon, 18 January.<\/p>\n

At around 12.45 pm, beachgoers discovered the beached dolphin on North Steyne shores; it was bearing the brunt of crashing waves caused by this weekend\u2019s wild weather. In moments, members of the public proceeded to band together to guide the mammal back into the ocean.<\/p>\n

Despite these efforts, it became washed-up again shortly after. This time, lifeguards, lifesavers and marine rescue and education organisation ORRCA attended the scene to resume rescue efforts.<\/p>\n

Pygmy killer whales are considered naturally rare and elusive even though they are generally widespread around the world. They often prefer warmer waters which may explain its appearance on the Northern Beaches, but they are also known to stray from coasts, and shallow waters, making its beaching unusual.<\/p>\n

\"\"It is currently unknown what caused the pygmy killer whale to become beached. Photo: Jack Kelly<\/p>\n

Sharky, a marine enthusiast and founder of Marine Life Rangers, was nearby when the rescue operation took place.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went down there, and the lifeguards turned up, and evidently this marine mammal had come in a couple of times\u2026 So we moved it up the beach. So the lifeguards and lifesavers came down, and we used a spinal board to move it up to a safe area,\u201d he told Manly Observer on the scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was still alive, but it died a short time later. It literally had salt water coming out of the blowhole, so it was going to die no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Sharky with lifesavers placing a wet towel on the pygmy killer whale. Photo: Jack Kelly.\n<\/p>\n

Rescuers continuously formed a water cycle, running chains of buckets from the ocean, keeping the dolphin\u2019s skin from drying out before NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) could arrive. Unfortunately, it died during this time.<\/p>\n

Initially thought to be a male Melon-Headed Whale, or a Risso\u2019s Dolphin, it was later confirmed as rare type of dolphin called a pygmy killer whale; experts determined this thanks to a tooth count and other data collected by ORRCA Rescue Team members onsite today.<\/p>\n

\"\"Crowds gathered to witness the fate of the stranded mammal today, January 18. Photo: Jack Kelly\n<\/p>\n

Although the outcome was not what was hoped, ORRCA has sent a heartfelt thank you to the Manly community for their passion and care. Though, they would also like to remind people of the proper protocol if they come across a beached whale, seal or dolphin, to ensure everyone\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you see a dolphin in distress or stranded, don\u2019t try to put it back into the water. It\u2019s a very important thing,\u201d ORRCA volunteer Annet Jansen told us amidst rescue efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s because it\u2019s most likely unwell, and there\u2019s a reason that it actually stranded. So it shouldn\u2019t be going back into the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Annet further shared that moving the animal could cause it injury, particularly its pectoral fins, which are sensitive.<\/p>\n

\"\"Onlookers gaze as lifeguards, ORCCA and NPWS lifting the dolphin to transport it to Taronga Wildlife Hospital. Photo: Jack Kelly.\n<\/p>\n

This is the second beached dolphin<\/a> in Manly within a year. Last May, members of the public similarly banded together in an attempt to save a Risso\u2019s Dolphin calf that became beached in front of Manly Life Saving Club. Unfortunately, its condition was too severe, and it was euthanised.<\/p>\n

It is unknown whether the beached dolphin from today\u2019s incident was thrust into its predicament due to rough surf conditions or because it was injured or sick \u2013 a common consequence of the latter can make them unable to navigate or avoid the shore.<\/p>\n

The dolphin was transported to Taronga\u2019s Wildlife Hospital, where a necropsy will be performed in the coming days or weeks to learn more about its condition before it died.<\/p>\n

ORRCA:\u00a002 9415 3333<\/p>\n

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS):\u00a01300 072 757\u00a0(13000 PARKS)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Crowds watched on in angst as lifeguards and marine rescue organisations attempted to rescue a twice-beached pygmy killer…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423108,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[64,63,6345,75,27569,222522,160146,25270,5036,11698,128,4719,222523,338],"class_list":["post-423107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-dolphin","tag-environment","tag-lifeguard","tag-lifesaver","tag-national-parks-and-wildlife-service","tag-npws","tag-ocean","tag-orrca","tag-science","tag-sea","tag-sea-life","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}