'You pay the price sometimes': Australian man could face £14,500 fine for rescuing trapped whale

An Australian man who saved a trapped whale calf from a net could be fined nearly AUS$27,000 (£14,500) for his troubles. The man took matters in to his own hands after authorities took over two hours to respond to calls about the animal's plight. The rescuer, who identified himself only as "Django", told local reporters: “I saw the whale and I thought, ‘That is pretty cool’. Then I saw he was in the net and I thought, ‘That is not cool’.” He proceeded to dive down and free the baby whale’s pectoral fin using his knife. The fin had become entangled in the shark net, which was cutting in to its flesh. It is unclear how long the whale, believed to be a humpback, had been trapped before the rescue. While returning to shore, the man was intercepted by the Department for Agriculture and Fisheries and told he faced a heavy fine, subject to an investigation. “Yeah, I’m in trouble. I wasn’t going out there to see whales. It was an expensive day but whatever... you pay the price sometimes,” he said. The state of Queensland has penalties for both tampering with council property and for moving too close to whales. Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said: “It is dangerous equipment. We have unfortunately seen the loss of life when people have themselves become entangled in this equipment. It will be up to the department to consider whether this gentleman will be prosecuted.”

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