Humpback whale washes up in Cape Town harbour

A humpback whale carcass has washed up close to Cape Town’s harbour, but at 10m long, it has proved difficult for officials to remove.

The carcass, which washed ashore south of the Black River mouth on Tuesday evening, is currently sitting in an “unreachable position”, leaving city officials without access to follow their usual protocols.

"The city cannot reach the carcass at this stage," said the city’s mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, Marian Nieuwoudt.

"We will keep on monitoring the whale carcass until it is accessible for removal. The public can be assured that the washed-up carcass near the Cape Town harbour poses no risk to the beach or coastal users.

"Once the sea moves the carcass to a better location where we can access it, we will remove it," he said.