The bill for removing a whale carcass from a Perth beach last week has risen to more than $175,000, prompting the City of Stirling to ask the WA Government to pay for it.

It comes as authorities confirm another whale carcass is drifting in the ocean between Rottnest and Cottesloe.

City of Stirling Mayor Giovanni Italiano told 720 ABC Perth he was shocked when he saw the cost of staff overtime and machinery to move and bury the 17 metre carcass, which washed up on Scarborough beach last weekend.

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“We were expecting about $100,000, but to our amazement and shock it has risen quite dramatically,” he said.

“In fact, it’s risen to the tune of about $175,000 plus, and still counting.”

Earthmoving machinery had been used to lift the whale and transport it by truck to a waste facility in Perth’s northern suburbs, where it was buried.

Mr Italiano said the city would be writing to the State Government asking them to foot the bill.

“At this point I can tell you we’ll be shortly writing to the State Government and asking them to pay for the lot, because I mean the responsibility when it was in the water was to be taken up by State Government and the State Government should have done something with it,” he said.

“Their Fisheries Department should have, Transport Department, whatever department was responsible when it was dead or alive.

“Why should my residents at the City of Stirling foot the bill for this anomaly?”

Mr Italiano said the animal should have been towed out to sea rather than being allowed to float into shore.

“When it was near Rottnest, why didn’t someone tow it out to the ocean and let the sharks or whatever have a go at it out there,” he said.

Mr Italiano said no-one wanted to take responsibility for carcass removal.

“As the Premier said the other day, if the whale is alive it’s the Fisheries (Department), if the whale is dead it’s the Transport Department, and if it lands on the beach it’s the City of Stirling responsibility, so everyone’s passing the buck here,” he said.

Mr Italiano said depending on winds and currents, the second whale carcass – which was now floating about five nautical miles out to sea – could end up in their local government area.

“That whale could land on our beaches by tomorrow morning,” he said.

“We cannot look at footing another bill at this point in time of $200,000.”