Municipal teams are working to clear the carcass of a humpback whale which washed up on a beach near Jex Estate on Thursday.

The whale was first spotted on the remote beach between Tinley Manor and Blythedale during the morning and soon drew residents from the surrounding communities to harvest it for meat and fat.

It is understood that parts of the carcass are also used for traditional medicine.

Watch this video taken by IPSS Electronic Security on Thursday last week:

The practice of harvesting whale meat is illegal per the Marine Living Resources Act of 1998 (Amended in 2009) and experts also generally suggest avoiding a carcass for risk of disease and infection.

If a marine animal is found alive, it should be reported to the KZN Marine Stranding Network who have a guide on what to do depending on which animal you find. It can be found here.

Report stranded marine animals to uShaka Marine World at 031 328 8222 during office hours and 031 328 8060 after hours.

When marine animals are found dead however, it becomes the jurisdiction of the relevant municipality to remove the carcass and KwaDukuza municipality teams are in the process of doing so.

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