A dead humpback whale washed up on the rocks at Sea Point Promenade in Cape Town late Wednesday evening and was spotted the following morning by locals.
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Nicola Jowell, ward councillor, stated in a Facebook post that Cape Town’s coastal management and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) worked together to navigate the situation. They also received input from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
The situation was tricky to navigate, as the carcass was very large. After adjusting the carcass slightly, the NSRI towed it with a rope attached to a boat out to sea during high tide.
The cause of death was not confirmed.
Watch the release process:
Every year, humpback whales migrate north from their feeding grounds in the Antarctic to the warmer subtropical waters to mate or calf. Humpbacks can form large pods during their migration north and in upwelling areas, such as South Africa’s west coast, where krill, their main food source, is raised to the ocean floor by wind-induced upwelling.
Picture: Screenshot of video by News24
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