Update:
The Sea Search team has identified several issues in the whale’s gut, including visible lesions, and noted that her teeth were discoloured.
These findings suggest that a combination of illness and age may have contributed to her stranding and eventual death.
The team stated, ‘The information gathered from this animal will significantly enhance our ongoing research into killer whales in Southern African waters, including genetic samples, stable isotopes, and heavy metals, among others.’
A deceased female orca was found stranded in St Helena Bay yesterday, Cape {town} Etc reports. Sea Search, in collaboration with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) team, conducted a necropsy to determine the cause of death and are awaiting the results from samples taken from the carcass.
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Reports are that the whale’s family could be heard just offshore on Monday afternoon and it is believed that the animal may have been alive at the time.
However, the animal’s death was confirmed yesterday when Sea Search members reached the 6m carcass.
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Picture: Sea Search / Facebook
