Guy Frees a Whale from a Net and Gets Rewarded with a Hefty Fine. That'll Teach Him.
Source - An Australian man who acted on his own to free a whale caught in sea nets says he's been fined by authorities for performing the rescue.
The trapped whale was spotted in waters off the Gold Coast on Tuesday, prompting calls to officials.
However, as hours passed without a response, the man launched his own rescue - driving his boat out, swimming over to the whale and untangling it.
Upon his return to shore, he was fined by officials he told Australian media.
It's unclear what exactly the fine was for, but Queensland state has penalties for tampering with council property, as well as moving too close to whales.
The man, who only wanted to be known as 'Django', said when he saw the whale, "adrenaline just sort of kicked in". ...
Other Australian news outlets reported a crowd of spectators watched the rescue from the shore.
There's just so much to love about this story. It's barely 150 words and there are just so many layers to it. The saving of that great beast. The name Django. The crowd standing by as a terrified Django pressed on and made his way past the breakers as a strange calm came over him. How we don't know if it was divine intervention or the kinship of all living things, but at that moment, Django WAS a marine biologist.
Yes, the sea was angry that day, my friends. Like an old man trying to send back soup at a deli.
But to me, the best part is the ridiculous bureaucratic overreach and the absolute death of reason. Do the authorities of Queensland want people in boats routinely harassing these majestic sea creatures? Of course not. It's not only not good for the animals but extremely dangerous. That's why a fine is a completely reasonable remedy when it happens. But it's not like my man is in the habit of ramming these cetaceans for the fun of it or harpooning them to get oil for his lamps or used their bones to make corsets. He had a choice between minding his own business or saving this noble sea mammal's life. And only one of those choices would get him in trouble with the law: The right one. Django Unnetted. He chose it anyway and deserves an award, not a fine. I mean, it's against the law to put a ladder up to somebody's window in the middle of the night and carry someone's daughter off, but I think an exception can be made for when the house is a raging inferno.
With everything else going on right now, I'd like to think the cops have bigger fish to fry (not an intentional pun but it stays) than punishing someone they should be treating like a hero. He saved more whales but untangling a net than "Whale Wars" did in seven seasons and 56 episodes. Cancel the man's fine, thank him for his service and move on. Because this is just another example of how no good deed ever goes unpunished.