The whale carcass attracted plenty of people… and plenty of sharks. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
A popular beach in Perth, Australia has been closed after a washed-up whale carcass began attracting sharks.
City Beach, a wonderful little suburb on the beach in WA, is a place full of ocean-goers. It’s got its own competitive surf lifesaving club, and the waves there get halfway decent when the stars align. Western Australia has always been sharky, however, and when a whale carcass is floating around with its stinky bits catching the noses of hungry sharks, it’s not a surprise that it’s shark central at the moment.
It’s expected that the beach will remain closed until the carcass has been removed, although when that will be isn’t clear. Hopefully something is figured out sooner rather than later, because whale carcasses have been known to explode as gasses build up inside them. They’ve also been known to explode when explosives are shoved inside them, but hopefully we’ve learned our lesson on the explosives front.
“We need to develop a series of options of how to dispose of it, today being a public holiday is not a great time to do all of that,” said Gary Mack the mayor of the town of Cambridge. “People should not swim in this area at all, or even take their dogs out, there are white sharks that have been identified out there.”
When drones were put in the air, they spotted several sharks in the area, presumably attracted to the massive free meal. Two great whites, both over 13 feet long, were seen, as well as a bronze whaler and a tiger shark. Until the carcass has been disposed of, it’s unlikely they’ll be leaving any time soon.
“It is possible the carcass will continue to act as an attractant that could lead to sharks coming in close to shore along this stretch of coast,” the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development warned.
The whale attracted more than sharks, though. Hundreds of onlookers arrived to get a look at it, each with varying degrees of interest and/or disgust.
