Cape Town - The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has appealed to the public to exercise caution along the Plettenberg Bay and Southern Cape coastline after four sharks were spotted feeding on a whale carcass near shore on Wednesday.
The major shark alert was issued by the NSRI and the Bitou Municipality after the carcass of a humpback whale was spotted in the vicinity between Nature’s Valley and Keurbooms Beach, with a visible shark presence feeding on it.
Nelson Mandela University’s whale scientist, Dr Gwenith Penry said the whale carcass has washed out to sea.
“The dead whale was first spotted in Nature's Valley about a kilometre offshore. It’s a humpback whale, fully grown adult. We are not sure of the cause of death, it could be of natural causes. A dead whale like that is a very valuable source of nutrients for the marine ecosystem. It’s very great to see how much life is feeding on it. Lots of seagulls, and deep water bird species were feeding on it too. The carcass has washed further and drifted out to sea. What we expect from it is that the animals feeding on it will move offshore with it,” she said.
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said they were monitoring the situation.
“We are appealing to the public, bathers, paddlers and boaters to be cautious due to the increased shark presence,” he said.
Cape Times