This morning, yet another whale died as a result of getting caught in an octopus net in False Bay. This is just one of more than three tragic whale deaths documented in this area in the past month.
According to the Facebook page Enviropaedia, the lifeless young humpback whale was towed in by authorities after “what must have been a long and agonising death”.
In a separate incident, the SA Whale Disentanglement Network was activated when a female humpback whale and her calf became entangled in floatation buoys and fishing rope in Port Elizabeth. Luckily, both whales were saved and swam away unharmed.
The situation has become so dire that change.org has started a petition to help stop whales from dying from entanglement in octopus traps.
“These traps, with long ropes tied to buoys that float on the surface, are a danger not only to whales and dolphins but they also pose a huge risk to boats and ships. False Bay is the home to the South African Navy and in the past they traps allegedly had sonar reflectors and lights on them – this is no longer the case. There is no visible warning on any of the traps in the bay and poses a big risk to the military and recreational boat user,” the change.org petition reads.
Picture: Facebook