On Friday, 22 July, a 14.65 meter Southern Right whale, weighing 35 tons, washed up off Kommetjie in the vicinity of the Slangkop light house. The whale was examined by Dr. Peter Best who determined that it had recently given birth, and had been lactating. Dr. Best further surmised that the whale died at sea on Wednesday or Thursday last week and washed up on Friday.
On Monday, the City of Cape Town’s cleansing department sought permission from Table Mountain National Park to drag the whale across the dunes and load it onto a flatbed truck for transportation to the Vissershok dump site. Unfortunately TMNP had no option but to refuse permission, based on the fact that pulling the whale through the 100 year old coastal thicket with earthmovers would leave a huge scar on the landscape that cannot be restored. Although the City is the relevant authority in charge of whale disposal, TMNP has committed itself to support efforts to dispose of the carcass by investigating alternatives and supplying manpower and resources.
It has to be noted that whale disposal is a global problem, and in many instances poses a challenge to management authorities. Most whales sink to the ocean floor, providing food for vent dwelling bacteria and in turn for the whole marine eco-system.
Our first choice for those whales that do wash ashore would be to allow the whale to decompose naturally. But in this particular case natural decomposition is not feasible, because the stench of decomposing blubber will be extreme and will build up over the coming months. Thus, leaving it where it is would cause great discomfort to the residents of Kommetjie and is not an option.
Cutting up the carcass would require 680 trips at 50kg a time, over the sensitive dune system. In addition, the damage to the dune system caused by human traffic would be as great, never mind the unbearable stench for the workers, and dangers of attempting to stand on the treacherously slippery blubber on the rocks.
Another common disposal method is to tow the whale offshore and to sink it or beach it elsewhere. We explored this option, but both the South African Navy and Smit Amandla Marine were reluctant to provide vessels, given the rocky shore and dangerous seas off the Kommetjie lighthouse, and the need to bring the vessel close to the rock shelf. Furthermore, Smit’s vessels are all in East London with a salvage operation.
Other alternatives include burying the whale in the sand, but this particular whale is on a flat rock shelf and far from sand. Blowing up the carcass with explosives has also been discounted, as the rock shards from the massive explosive charge needed to do the job will pose an unacceptable danger to the public and to buildings in the area.
After having exhausted all the possibilities mentioned above, a decision has now been made to burn and then cut up and dispose of the whale carcass. Essentially we propose working with nature to accelerate the natural oxidation process. It is not common practice, but has been done before in New Zealand. TMNP is working closely with a number of organizations to finalise plans for the burn, which is dependant on weather and tidal conditions.
Burning the carcass reduces the mass and volume, allowing for whatever is left over to be cut up and removed either into the sea or to a landfill site. The burn will involve stacking a cremating pyre of wood around the whale and using solid accelerants in the slits of the blubber, burning it for a few days and then assessing the situation. Anti oil pollution solvents may be used to mop up the resulting oil effluents.
TMNP is also committed to managing the influx of interested people by keeping them off the sensitive dune vegetation and encouraging them to walk on the rocks and the tarred Kommetjie coastal path.
Burning the carcass is no easy solution, and TMNP welcomes constructive ideas & solutions to be sent to tablemountain@sanparks.org
Related article : TMNP to Burn Whale Carcass