Humpback Whale Escapes Crocodile-Infested River

The last humpback whale remaining in a crocodile-infested Australian river is now safe. The whale, one of three that made a wrong turn and ended up in the river during their annual migration, returned to sea over the weekend, entering the Van Diemen Gulf. Authorities said Monday the whale appeared to be in good health, the BBC reports. Fears had mounted it could collide with a boat, get stuck in shallow water, or get stranded on a sandbar and attacked by the crocs. Authorities had banned boats along part of the river so that a path to the ocean could remain clear. "This is the very best outcome we could have hoped for," says one scientist. CNN reports the whale had been in the East Alligator River in Kakadu National Park for two weeks. (More on the incident here.)