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Tourists and locals 'drop everything' to glimpse rare sight in Aussie boat harbour
Local residents and tourists visiting a small Aussie coastal town were treated to a rare display by a humpback whale which made a wrong turn and entered a boat harbour.
Local whale-watching tour operator Gemma told Yahoo News visitors were going about their morning on Thursday last week when they quickly "dropped" what they were doing to race down to the water's edge at Augusta Boat Harbour in WA's southwest to capture the exciting moment.
"Whales come in really close to the harbour, but we don't have them coming in here," she said, adding she can only think of one other time such a moment has ever happened.
The whale quickly realised it had reached a dead end and began making a loud "trumpeting" noise, alerting all those in the area to its presence.
"When [whales] are excited, distressed or unsettled, they do trumpeting," Gemma explained. "Everyone could hear that and came running down to the harbour. People were lining the wharf, all in shock."
Relief came after 10 minutes of the whale circling the harbour when it "figured out" where the exit was and made its way back to the open ocean.
Gemma couldn't overstate the rarity of the event, "We work with them all day every day, and it's very unusual," she said of the behaviour.
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The West Coast of Australia is known for one of the largest whale migrations in the world. Up to 45,000 of the marine mammals travel from the frigid feeding grounds of Antarctica along the coast up to warmer waters along the Kimberley region between May and June before returning later in the year.
But their populations haven't always thrived. The species, which can grow up to 17 metres in length and weigh 40 metric tonnes, was forced to the brink of extinction by whaling in the 1960s until a ban was introduced to protect them.
Gemma has seen the population recover before her own eyes, working at her family's business, Whale Watch Western Australia.
"It's been a wonderful recovery since the 1960s," she said. "It's clear to see out on the water, they're everywhere. It's a wonderful success story."
Interest from tourists is growing too, with visitors keen to catch a glimpse of the remarkable creatures. "People want to see the wildlife which is really encouraging," she said. "We have guests coming from all over the world."
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