WATCH: Giant humpback whale transported through CPT suburbs
When last did you see an entire whale on the back of a truck making its way through the suburbs?
On Sunday morning, Cape Town residents experienced an unexpected sight when a dead humpback whale was transported from Hout Bay through Constantia.
The 14-meter marine mammal reportedly washed up on Hout Bay beach earlier that day, prompting city officials to act swiftly to remove it.
Officials had to act fast in order to avoid any shark activity, foul odours, or a potentially explosive situation.
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As reported by IOL, Facebook user Kate Gerber-Furmie said: "The reason they (the City) remove dead whales from the beach is because when they decompose, their bellies distend with gas and then explode, sending whale pieces for miles."
Social media quickly started buzzing with posts of the unusual scene, with locals capturing the surreal moment the whale carcass took a trip through the suburbs.
Watch here:
Saw a huge whale carcass being transported. Took me a while to actually clock what it was pic.twitter.com/0heGbOP4t7
— mamakhe (@ZandiTee) November 17, 2024
@tazzy_neem0 humpback whale in transit #humpbackwhale #houtbay #constantianeck #beachedwhale #capetown ♬ original sound - Finding NeemO
According to News24, it took Cape Town authorities 36 hours to successfully dispose of the humpback whale's carcass, which is said to have been 14.8 metres long, weighing around 35 tonnes.
The carcass first had to be towed to the Hout Bay Harbour, where it was loaded on a truck to be transported.
"We asked the NSRI and they kindly agreed to tow it to Hout Bay harbour. It was a humpback whale," said City of Cape Town coastal manager Gregg Oelofse.
"It took most of Saturday for the carcass to be towed to Hout Bay harbour, where it was dragged up the slipway, left there overnight, and loaded up on a flatbed truck for disposal at Vissershok [landfill site on the N7] this morning," said Oelofse.
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Whales getting stranded are not uncommon in South Africa, particularly along the Western Cape.
These large mammals can end up on shores for reasons ranging from navigation mishaps to natural causes like old age to attempts to escape predators like orcas.
Due to the frequency of whale visitors along the Cape Town coastline, officials have well-oiled protocols for handling such incidents.
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Main image: Facebook/ Screenshot