SYDNEY (dpa): A beached whale carcass prompted several shark alerts at a popular beach in the Western Australian city of Perth on Monday.
Authorities closed City Beach and urged the public not to swim or walk dogs after several sharks appeared nearby, broadcaster ABC reported.
Two great white sharks measuring around four to five metres in length were among the predators circling nearby. Some were reported to have been just 10 metres from the shore, being sighted from the beach and from helicopters.
"It is possible the carcass will continue to act as an attractant that could lead to sharks coming in close to shore along this stretch of coast," the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said.
Whale meat offers sharks a vast number of calories and energy-rich nutrition in the form of its thick layer of blubber and flesh.
Around 200 onlookers gathered on the beach to see the unusual find.
People will not be allowed back into the water until the carcass has been removed, Mayor Gary Mack said.
The warnings come just 10 days after a fatal shark attack at Sorrento Beach, around 15 kilometres further north. A swimmer was attacked just 50 metres from the shore, presumably by a great white shark. -- dpa
