Whale struck by ship in Saldanha Bay dies
A sea rescue craft was launched and a towline was rigged to the carcass.
Photographer Simon McDonnell captured this stunning image of an Orca in False Bay over the weekend. “On Sunday mid-morning I received reports of Killer Whales in False Bay,” explains McDonnell. “I spoke to Simon’s Town Boat Company’s Dave Hurwitz, who has all the necessary ES permits for transporting media, and chartered their inflatable boat to check out the sightings. We found a pod of six, maybe seven whales in the deeper waters off Buffels Bay. Amazing to capture images of wildlife we’re not used to seeing!”
A southern right whale died after it was reportedly struck by a ship in Saldanha Bay, according to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).
“The whale appears to have suffered a ship strike,” its spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, said on Sunday.
On Saturday, the NSRI were called on to assist the Marine Animal Stranding Network and Saldanha Bay Municipality to move the whale’s carcass to Dial Rock Beach.
A sea rescue craft was launched and a towline was rigged to the carcass.
Lambinon said the carcass was then towed to the beach.
“An attempt to tow the whale out to sea later on Saturday was suspended and the carcass will be removed from the land side by solid waste management.”
He added samples of the whale would be collected by the environment department.
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