PLETTENBERG BAY - KILLER WHALE FOUND DEAD ON BEACH

Plettenberg Bay - A dead killer whale has washed up on the shore in Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape.

"It washed up on the beach dead and then was removed by the [municipal] cleansing department," National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson Craig Lambinon said.

"Samples of it have been taken away by the department of environmental affairs."

The animals commonly known as killer whales are also called orcas.

Lambinon said the whale was found on Sunday.

It was not yet clear if it was the same juvenile orca whale which had been successfully released back into the ocean after it was discovered beached on the Robberg Beach shores last week.

That orca whale, approximately six metres in length, was found on the beach on Friday evening and members of the public had helped throw water on it to keep it wet, Lambinon said on Saturday.

That whale was believed to be the same whale that had been seen in Plettenberg Bay, swimming close inshore, a few days before.

A veterinarian arrived and efforts to get the whale back into the water began, but they were short-lived when the whale re-beached.

The rescue crew were then able to get the whale into deeper water and swam with it coaxing it into deeper water.

In an effort to discourage re-beaching, a line was formed in the water, by the crew, as the whale continued to try to head back to the beach.

The efforts proved to be successful and the whale returned to the ocean.

The whale was seen again swimming along the beach front and a member of the public reported seeing the whale feeding, said Lambinon at the time.

VIA - news24.com