The Saldanha Bay Municipal Cleansing Department will make arrangements to remove the carcass of a 10-metre long humpback whale found beached at Britannia Bay, on the West Coast, early yesterday.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Mykonos station commander Casper Frylinck said: “On arrival at the scene NSRI crew, assisted by members of the public, began efforts to assist the whale that was hard aground, in an outgoing tide.”
He said that, initially, the rescue team tried to dig a trench in the low spring tide while a water chain system was set up with buckets and wet towels to keep the whale hydrated; but, sadly, the whale was found, according to environmental affairs marine authorities, to be in an “advanced unhealthy state”.
The whale died shortly after sea rescue, emergency services, and the environmental authorities resources arrived on the scene.
Douglas Villette, a Britannia Beach holiday maker, said when he got to the beach about 8am yesterday an NSRI official said the whale had beached two hours earlier.
At that point officials and people had been busy with efforts to try to save the whale’s life, he said.
“Residents came with spades to try to dig a ditch to get water to the whale, and they put wet towels on it to keep the body wet, but by about 8.30am it wasn't moving anymore,” Villette said.
Unfortunately, these attempts were unsuccessful.
“Some of the families were very sad that this beautiful animal was lying (helpless) on the beach, and that there was nothing they could do to save it,” he said.