News

Table Mountain National Park and the City of Cape Town would like to appeal to the public to stay away from the area around the Southern Right whale that beached off Kommetjie on Friday, 21 July 2006. The high number of curious bystanders over the last week has had a very negative effect on the coastal dune system and coastal milkwood thicket in the area adjacent to the casualty. The area has since been cordoned off with razor wire to protect the sensitive dune environment.

The 34 ton size, and the location of the dead whale on the wave cut rock shelf at the lighthouse, has posed a particular challenge to the Table Mountain National Park and the City of Cape Town’s departments of how to best dispose of the whale carcass in a manner that does not have significant environmental and social impacts. A combination of dangerous seas, the flat rock shelf of Kommetjie, sensitive dunes and protected coastal thicket, and the large number of people living in the area, meant that all common methods for disposing of whales could not be considered, although the City’s cleansing department made its staff and machinery available on Monday to remove the whale to the Vissershok landfill site.

The Table Mountain National Park in collaboration with the City has therefore decided that the best course of action will be to significantly reduce the amount of biomass through burning the carcass. Once the biomass has been significantly reduced, the remaining carcass and skeleton will be disposed of. The method of disposal (by air, sea or land) will be finalised once the burning operation has been completed and an informed decision on the best method made.

A burning permit will be obtained, and the City’s Air Pollution Control will be on site during the burning. Burning is planned to start as soon as environmental conditions are suitable. Both the TMNP and the City have taken the position that the burning operation will be continuously evaluated and if at any time it is deemed to be unsuccessful or harmful to the health of the community or the environment the burning will be immediately stopped.

The TMNP and the CoCT have consulted with representatives from the Kommetjie Residents and Ratepayers Association and the Kommetjie Environmental Action Group (KEAG) and have their support for this process. As the operation continues more information will be made available.

The caution issued by the Cape Town Shark Working Group to swimmers, surfers and kayakers to be aware of possible increased white shark activity for the area between Scarborough and Noordhoek Corner remains in place. Pictures and updates are posted at http://www.sanparks.org/