14m humpback washes to shore

A FULLY grown 14m-long whale which washed up off Yellowsands Caravan Park on Monday evening is a humpback whale that appeared to be in distress earlier.

Resort manager and surfer Aiden Leppan, 25, said he had spotted the whale trying to swim away from the rocks about 4pm on Monday, but by 5pm it had been pushed onto the rocks. By yesterday morning it had died.

East London Museum principal scientist Kevin Cole said he was informed of the carcass via a phonecall from the East London Aquarium’s Siani Tinley yesterday morning.

“I was told that it was spotted in the surf zone at 5pm on Monday but that it was not blowing and wasn’t very active, which could indicate lethargy and so it may have been ill,” said Cole, who was at the scene yesterday.

Cole said although it was hard to tell what caused the animal to die, its tongue was bloated, meaning it may have been experiencing gastrointestinal problems.

He took samples of its blubber, blood and penis to try to establish the cause of death.

Cole said he had noted “good whale activity” off the Kwelera coast on August 14 and that he had seen two cows with young calves breaching and flapping their tales.

However, last Friday, Rainbow Valley artist George Kockott had discovered a dismembered neonate calf, which he also identified as a humpback.

“It could have been injured by a propeller or maybe a shark or two took a nibble.”

Meanwhile the 22m fin whale that died and was washed up at Cove Rock two months ago was decomposing very well, according to Cole, who visited the site on Sunday.

“It will take another two or three months, but we can start moving the vertebrae soon. It will be taken to the museum in bits and pieces and businesses will help us with cranes and trucks to move it.”

Cole has called on anyone who took clear photographs or footage of humpback whale activity off Yellowsands in the days before the male humpback died, to send them to him at

He said this could help establish if the male had been in a group or was a lone animal and whether his behaviour indicated if he was old. —