The City of Cape Town on Wednesday said it was temporarily closing Strand Beach to bathers as a whale carcass was onshore and presented a safety hazard.
“The blood and debris from the carcass can attract sharks to the area and in the interest of public safety, residents and visitors are asked to please refrain from swimming at this beach,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Environmental and Spatial Planning Johan van der Merwe.
“As a precautionary measure, the Strand Beach will be closed for bathing until further notice.”
The closure comes after the City was alerted to the whale carcass floating out at sea on Tuesday night.
“It subsequently beached on the Strand Beach,” said Van Der Merwe.
The closure of Strand Beach is in accordance with the City’s Stranded Whale Protocol and sees the area around the carcass being cordoned off and closed to members of the public.
The next step will be to bring in heavy machinery to remove the carcass and transport it to the Vissershok Landfill site for disposal.
“Once the carcass has been removed and the area is deemed safe for bathing, the beach will be re-opened,” said Van Der Merwe.
African News Agency (ANA)
