Durban - The 15 metre whale that beached on Umhlanga Main beach on Sunday morning has been dissected and removed.
Durban Metro spokesperson Parbhoo Sewpersadh, said the various role-players worked well until after midnight on Sunday to dissect the whale believed to be between 4 and 6 tonnes.
"The carcass was dissected 99 percent. There are still a couple of pieces still left on the beach, the guys from parks covered it with sand the best they could to minimize people coming and scavenging. When removed there will be landscaping to return the beach back to normal."
Sewpersadh despite this development swimming was strictly prohibited in the area until further notice.
The whale was removed from the surf on Sunday afternoon and was dissected.
Picture: Supplied
He added that joggers going past The vicinity complained of the bad odour, but said it was expected and there was nothing that could be done.
Hundreds of people gathered at the beach on Sunday to look at the whale but Metro had urged people to refrain from going to the area, especially with small children, due to contamination.
He thanked the various role-players which included metro police search and rescue, parks department refuse removal, Marshall Security, UIP.
The beached whale has been removed from Umhlanga's main beach, but swimming is still banned.
Picture: Supplied
Sewpersadh said it appears the whale has been dead for approximately 3-4 days and was in an advanced stage of decomposition.
He said samples were taken by KZN Wildlife to determine the cause of death.