Migaloo the albino humpback whale has got a police escort to keep sightseeing boats at bay as he makes his annual migration along the Australian coast.
The famous whale, first photographed in 1991 and last spotted two years ago, was slowly swimming north along the coast of Queensland on Thursday, shadowed by officers in boats to make sure that no one breaches a 500m protection area.
Migaloo is 14m long and weighs up to 40 tonnes. He was struck by a boat in 2003 and bears the scars. Police will stay with him till he reaches the Great Barrier Reef this weekend.
The whales migrate from Antarctica to north Australia, where the females give birth.