Massive whale carcass to be buried on Western Cape beach
· The South African
In a rare and extraordinary occurrence along the Overberg coastline, the carcass of a 23-metre female fin whale washed ashore at Die Plaat beach near Gansbaai.
Initially spotted floating near the harbour by a Sea Safaris company, the massive carcass belongs to the second-largest animal species on earth. Fin whales are deep-ocean giants currently listed as ‘vulnerable’, making a coastal stranding in the Greater Dyer Island area largely unprecedented.
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Teams from the Dyer Island Conservation Trust and the University of Pretoria’s Whale Unit successfully conducted a lengthy four-hour necropsy, but a definitive cause of death has been found as yet.
While some recent regional whale mortalities were linked to ship strikes, initial examinations showed no signs of blunt force trauma, entanglement, or disease, leaving the exact cause of death a mystery.
Whale carcass to be buried
Meanwhile, local environmental authorities are managing the massive carcass, coordinating the planning for its safe disposal and natural decomposition process in accordance with coastal management protocols to minimise public health and shark risks.
According to the Overstrand Municipality, they are currently assisting Cape Nature with the burial of the carcass that washed ashore between Hermanus and De Kelders on 1 July.
More information was also provided on how the carcass had first been spotted floating in Walker Bay.
“The NSRI were contacted to see if they could tow the carcass closer to Die Plaat to ensure that it would not wash up in a residential area, and a decision was made to let it come ashore naturally. The next morning, Dave Caravais (Fat Bike Tours), came across the whale on the beach and reported it to the stranding network,” the Overberg Municipality statement read.
“A sincere thank you to the Dyer island Conservation Trust and the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit who attended the scene to collect biological samples, take measurements and photos as part of the scientific response to this rare fin whale stranding. This work is conducted under a permit from Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, as part of the Whale Unit’s work on cetaceans in South Africa.
“According to Wilfred Chivell of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, this is the first recorded fin whale stranding in the Greater Dyer Island area.
“Strandings in the greater Overberg area are managed through a collaborative response involving CapeNature, DFFE, Dyer Island Conservation Trust, the University of Pretoria’s Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit, the NSRI, Overberg District Municipality and Overstrand Municipality, whale watching companies and several other NGO’s. The area extends from Rooiels in the west to Stilbaai in the east.”
Information gathering
Because the whale’s position uniquely allowed scientists to open the jaw, they achieved a highly valuable recovery of rare baleen plates alongside extensive tissue samples.
Over the coming months, these samples will undergo intense laboratory analysis to map the whale’s age, genetics, and health history.
Members of the public who discover stranded animals along the coastline are urged not to approach or disturb the animal.