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Humpback whale carcass washes up on beach
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The carcass of a 15-meter-long male humpback whale was washed up on Cape Town's Strand Beach by the tide on November 26 in South Africa. The local government subsequently issued a shark alert, urging the public not to enter the nearby waters.

Cape Town's coastal warden said the humpback whale died around the 21st, and the cause of death was initially ruled as old age, but since cetaceans usually attract sharks to partake of them after death, the Cape Town municipality issued a shark alert while cleaning up the beach, calling on swimmers, surfers and divers to stay out of the nearby waters.

The humpback whale population usually migrates through the waters off Cape Town to Hermanus Bay, 120 kilometers from Cape Town, to breed each year in June and July, but it is not common for humpback whale carcasses to wash up on beaches, the last time being in 2016.

(Image via VCG)

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