Whale Carcass Transported to Shore During Peak Holiday Season

HOUT BAY – It was a sad and unusual scene today in Cape Town, South Africa, as a juvenile whale carcass was towed to shore in Hout Bay and away for safe removal.

National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) had received a call at around 09h25 about the sighting of a whale, suspected to be entangled about 1 nautical mile off-shore of Llandudno Beach.

Arriving on the scene, NSRI found an 8 meter male juvenile Humpback whale carcass, said NSRI Hout Bay deputy station commander Geoff Stephens.

On request from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), NSRI Hout Bay and NSRI Kommetjie towed the whale to Hout Bay harbour where Marine Scientists could take samples of its carcass, and where the City of Cape Town waste disposal team could remove the carcass to transport it to a landfill… rather than risk it washing ashore during the peak holiday season where it could become difficult to remove.

The 15 tonnes whale carcass was loaded without incident onto a flat bed trailer truck for safe removal.

The City of Cape Town said: “The cause of death is unknown but it is likely to be from a ship strike.” Motorists were cautioned about the possible inconvenience on the roads.