[WATCH] – Whale and calf spotted in local shores
On Sunday morning, residents called to say that the whale was in danger, but after investigation, it was found that the whale was just cruising.
A migrating southern right whale with its calf was spotted at Baggies Beach on Sunday, September 13. As of this morning, the pair was seen at Isipingo Beach.
“In between or just after the sardine run, whales come close inshore once they have given birth and it’s purely so the mother can recover, get the baby’s breathing right and stay away from predators. The shallow water holds fewer predators and it makes it safer for the calf,” said local angler, Jace Govender.
The whale has been tracked from Port Edward last week.
“They hug the coastline very close to the breaker line or the last wave as commonly known. It is very close to the shore and we have numerous calls from the public from Isipingo this morning. The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board and scientists are monitoring the pair and they are in no distress, they are just relaxing in the flat water.”
On Sunday morning, residents called to say that the whale was in danger, but after investigation, it was found that the whale was just cruising.
“It moves at an average about 4km/h 40km a day but when it has a calf it moves very slow. It moved from Warner Beach to Isipingo in a 24 hour period of about 7km, it almost looks as if it’s not moving.”
Residents are urged to not disrupt the whale.
“We ask all beach users to stay away from the whale. It is illegal to get close to them, you have to stay 300m away and especially a southern right whale with a baby could turn on you to protect the baby. Let it be and watch it from a distance. We will continue monitoring the whale for the next few days. The Sharks Board has done a fantastic job monitoring the whales.”
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