THE Orient and Eastern beaches in East London were closed yesterday after shark activity was reported.

Officials noticed the sharks soon after the carcass of a baby humpback whale was washed up on rocks near the Aquarium.

BEACHED WHALE The carcass of a young humpback whale along the East London beachfront forced the closure of the Orient and Eastern beaches yesterday. The carcass, which has been partly eaten, resulted in an increase of shark activity in the area. Picture: MARK ANDREWS

Chief marine services officer Siani Tinley said: Shark activity was seen around this carcass just before it washed up, so the beaches [Orient and Eastern] have been closed for a while until there is less shark activity in the area.

Beach staff will remove the carcass as soon as possible.

Tinley said the carcass was a few days old and had been fed on by a number of marine animals, including sharks.

She said humpback whales were not uncommon in the area at this time of year.

Humpback whales move along our coastline towards the Western Cape, which is their main feeding ground.

There is a lot of calving happening as well and this particular calf could have died for a number of reasons.

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Shark activity closes EL beaches