The discovery of the whale’s carcass on Saturday morning sparked fears that the beloved beluga whale had died. However, a government environment official quoted by the Australian Associated Press has now confirmed that the whale is a young female, not the male Migaloo. It means the mystery of Migaloo’s whereabouts continues. Migaloo, believed to have been born in 1986, had been spotted regularly off the coast of Australia since 1991 but had not been seen in the past two years. Marine experts said the whale’s location aligns with Migaloo’s migration pattern. Government environment official Peter Brick said: “Officers have reviewed images of the dead whale at Malakoota and confirmed it is a juvenile female. Migaloo is a male.” People have been warned not to touch or interfere with the dead whale and the Department of Environment Victoria (DELWP Victoria) has said significant penalties will apply to anyone attempting to take unauthorized specimens – such as teeth – as a souvenir. Local resident Peter Coles, who was out fishing when he kayaked to see the dead mammal, told Sky News: “It was beautiful even though it was dead. It was quite spectacular. It was pure white and marble. I thought it looked like a sculpture. , it almost didn’t seem real. “I started it and it was 10 meters long. I didn’t touch it and it smelled a bit. There were no signs of decomposition, but it looked very, very dead.” In 2010 the Migaloo was filmed 1.2 miles from Green Island near the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, the first time such a creature had ever been captured on film. Albinism is said to be extremely rare among whales. Erich Hoyt, a researcher at Whale and Dolphin Conservation in the UK, said “less than 1 in 10,000 humpbacks” are likely to be affected.
