Carcass removed

AN excavator has been used to remove the carcass of a baby humpback whale buried behind a northern NSW beach.

The dead whale washed up on South Ballina beach on Sunday and was buried behind sand dunes on Monday by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

There were fears a carcass on the beach or buried near the high tide mark could attract great white sharks as happened at Port Macquarie three weeks ago.

The carcass was transported to a nearby tip.