Science · Beach safetySorrento Beach whale removal leaves beaches closed over shark riskAired October 25, 2026 at 10:24 PM UTCWritten October 25, 2026 at 10:29 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07Whale remains kept Sorrento's beaches closed even after crews took them away.0:11Residue left behind could still attract sharks, so removing the visible remains0:15didn't clear the water for swimmers.0:17The closure's exact reach and reopening time still aren't clear.0:20Surf lifesavers spotted the remains just offshore at Sorrento Beach in Perth.0:24The discovery enclosure happened on Sunday, October25,2026 .0:28The city of Junalup took the remains away within a few hours.0:31The removal included a carcass's tail, but the warning continued after the cleanup0:35because authorities were concerned about what the remains could leave behind.0:38At ten forty that morning, officials confirmed the carcass was no longer in place.0:43Beaches in the Sorrento Beach area were still closed.0:46The continuing warning concerned residue that could attract sharks after the visible0:49material had gone.0:50That update gives beachgoers a definite point in time.0:53It confirms the restrictions survived the removal, but it can't tell someone0:57arriving later whether their beach has reopened.0:59The remains were buried at Red Hill Waste Management Facility.1:02That completed their journey away from the beach.1:04The concern at Sorrento stayed focused on residue at the place where the carcass had1:07been beached.1:08The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommended extra1:11caution.1:12Its warning said residue may attract sharks.1:14No attack or injury was reported in connection with these remains.1:17The official notice named the Sorrento Beach area without listing individual beaches1:21or coastal endpoints.1:22The department's warning described possible shark attraction.1:25It didn't announce a shark sighting link to the carcass.1:28Department staff and personnel from other agencies were monitoring the situation.1:32For swimmers, the practical consequence was that a cleared beach could still have a1:36closure in force.1:37This was the third whale carcass found on Perth beaches in the past month, and the1:41second that week.1:42The immediate safety concern at Sorrento was what could remain after the latest1:46removal.1:46A separate discovery on September twenty-seven involved a thirteen metra seventy-two1:50ton humpback at South City Beach.1:52An excavator was needed to remove that carcass.1:54Those measurements belonged to the earlier whale.1:56Sorrento had also suffered a fatal shark attack about five weeks earlier.2:00Greg O'Neill, a Perth father, was killed by a large Great White while swimming close2:04to shore.2:04He was Western Australia's third shark fatality that year.2:07That earlier attack adds context to the local concern.2:10The warning attached to the whale remains was specifically about the possibility of2:14sharks being drawn to residue.2:16The state government is expanding its shark tagging program.2:19It may also use drones powered by artificial intelligence as part of its beach2:23safety measures.2:24At Sorrento agencies, we're continuing to monitor the situation after the removal.2:28Officials haven't published what that monitoring found after the cleanup.2:31The October25 notice also gave no reopening time or fixed waiting period.2:35At its ten40 m update, the remains were gone and the beaches were still closed.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗
