The horror of Kommetjie’s beached whales, 30-31 May 2009

The beaching and death of over 50 false killer whales on Kommetjie beach, on the south coast of Cape Town,  horrified residents of the Western Cape. Says a resident of Kommetjie: “We heard about the whales beaching early on Saturday morning and went straight down to the beach. It was an awful sight. People were trying to pull them back into the sea, and the whales would simply beach themselves again. It was extraordinary how many volunteers descended on the beach to help save the whales, but also worrying that the officials were the last to arrive. We’re hearing stories now about how volunteers actually made the whales more stressed, but where were the NSRI, and the city and provincial bodies mandated to look after the coast and its creatures? By the time they arrived, hundreds of people were milling around the beach either sightseeing or trying to help and by this time, confusing the situation even more. It’s not surprising that volunteers were in tears when the whales finally had to be shot to put them out of their misery. If you’d been in the icy water all day trying to save them only to witness them being shot – despite knowing this was the only humane way to help them – of course you’d be in tears. It was a sad and horrible day. And worse for not knowing why these creatures do it in the first place.”