Lifeguards reported the carcass floating in the rocky bay just before 8am on Thursday. Randwick Mayor Dr Clare Willington urged the community to respect the beach closures, noting the whale is an important totem animal to the local Bidjigal people. She thanked the Gamay Rangers, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and national parks staff for managing the situation with cultural sensitivity.
Senior Gamay ranger Robert Cooley explained that the location makes mechanical removal difficult and the community finds landfill distressing. "Our preference is to let nature take its course," Cooley said, referring to hopes that high tide will eventually move the carcass out to sea. Rope around the whale's pectoral fin is believed to be from an earlier attempt to haul it further out.
The whale, an adult or subadult humpback, is too decomposed for reliable testing for avian influenza. Whale scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta said she would strongly advise against swimming, while the council warned the carcass could attract predators, particularly sharks. The incident coincides with the early seasonal return of bull sharks to Sydney's waters as coastal temperatures rise.