Category: Odd + Funny Author : Duncan Riley Posted: September 30, 2008
Tags : australia, explosives, western australia, whale
Ah, Western Australia, Australia’s own wild west and a state I called home for nearly 10 years. Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation officers euthanized a chronically ill whale Tuesday that had beached itself near Jurien Bay in Western Australia’s mid-west region. Beached whales stranding themselves and having to be put down isn’t really anything out of the ordinary, at least in Australia, but it’s the method of euthanasia picked that makes this story unique: they blew the whale up.
According to WAToday, the whale was killed by explosives detonated near its brain.
Why waste a perfectly good shot of sedatives and medicine when you have ready access to explosives 
(img credit: ABC News/ DEC)
Sep 30, 2008
WTF
Oct 1, 2008
Duncan I seem to recall somewhere that they couldn't euthanise the whale the usual way because of its size. I'm glad they put it out of its suffering, anyway
Oct 1, 2008
It's a humpback, same as the whale in Sydney a few months back. I don't doubt that putting it out of its suffering was the right thing, but the methodology is interesting at best
Oct 2, 2008
Duncan, your comment is completely untrue. Check the facts please. The whale was not blown up. In fact the whale was sick, dying, and suffering. Because of its size the use of to sedatives would have been quite dangerous, expensive, and likely ineffective. The whale was put down by a directed charge to the brain, an internationally approved and effecctive method – not at all unique. It is a very sad event that was by no means taken lightly by those involved. – Bob
Oct 2, 2008
Bob,
I'm going on the press reports. If you can point me to a correction or proof otherwise I'd happily change the post.