The Urban Waste Management Directorate thanks various City directorates and external stakeholders who undertook the mammoth operation to remove a whale carcass from Strand Beach the weekend of Friday, 25 November.

Let's take a closer look at the efforts that went into this massive operation:

About 70 people from seven City departments and external roleplayers were involved in various capacities including access control and environmental monitoring.

A team of officials from various City directorates including Coastal Management, Traffic Services, Law Enforcement, Environmental Management and Urban Waste Management were deployed last week to Strand Beach for an operation to remove a whale carcass that had washed onshore. Representatives from the Department of Fisheries, Forestry, and the Environment (DFFE) and Strand Neighbourhood Watch were also involved.

A section of the beach was cordoned off for 27 hours. The beach was initially cordoned off on Friday, 25 November evening around 17:30 by Strand Neighbourhood Watch. City officials arrived the next morning at 05:00 to commence with the removal of the whale carcass. The affected operational beach area was eventually reopened at 20:30 on Saturday, 26 November.

The carcass was a 13,6m male humpback whale, weighing an enormous 26,7 tonnes. The cause of death is not yet known and is being investigated by DFFE.

It took about one hour to transport the carcass to the landfill.

'Thank you to all officials and civic groups who assisted in this massive operation. This was no easy task. These incidents are inevitable from time to time, and the City has protocols in place to manage and respond to these when they do occur. We also appreciate the public's cooperation and understanding during this time,' said Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg.

Source: City Of Cape Town