Cape Town residents came face to face with a massive whale carcass bobbing in Hout Bay waters on Sunday.
The Whale carcass weighed 35 tons.
The City of Cape Town said in a statement, residents first reported the whale, early on Saturday morning, drifting off to Kommetjie.
Due to its size and the potential risks it posed, a response team was activated to drag him out of the water. This was done jointly by the City of Cape Town and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Hout Bay Station.
But before the carcass could be dragged out to the Vissershok Landfill on Sunday, 17 November 2024, it had to be placed at the slipway.
Once at the slipway, the City’s Urban Waste Management: Specialised Equipment Services (SES) team, Traffic Services and the Corporate Fleet Management team had to stabilize a wobbly carcass and load onto the transport to the landfill site.
The job was well done, thanks to Marwaan Davids: Senior Superintendent: SES, Buyron Phillips, the driver of the flatbed truck.
Traffic Services then assisted with traffic control while the carcass was on route, ensuring civilian vehicles were kept at a safe distance.
UWM: Cleansing SES also assisted with the clean-up of the slipway, including mechanical cleaning and sweeping of the route from Hout Bay to landfill.
After reaching the landfill, the Disposal team followed the protocol for trenching and it was safely disposed by the staff on site. A trench was dug in anticipation of the whale’s arrival, but had to be widened and lengthened significantly due to the size of the animal.
Picture:Supplied