The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has confirmed via its Facebook page that marine scientists and veterinarians were called on the scene to evaluate the shark's condition.
Earlier in April, another whale shark measuring 5m was found washed ashore in Kommetjie in the Western Cape.
Whale sharks are the largest known fish but do not pose a danger to humans as they feed on plankton and small fish.
Sad that the first Whale Shark I ever saw had to be a dead one on my local beach. This is the second one in 11 days to wash up on a Cape Town beach. The first was at Kommetjie and this one was at Camps Bay tonight. #whaleshark https://t.co/77YAXCMc7c pic.twitter.com/hD2gGsgLq5
— Aletta Harrison (@AlettaHarrison) April 13, 2019
According to a statement by NSRI Kommetjie, its unit received calls from members of the public at around 11:00 on Monday of a whale shark that had washed ashore at Long Beach in Kommetjie.
Life guards and beach-goers attempted to help the shark by pushing it back into the ocean, but failed.
Instagram user Tryfina Kgokong captured beachgoers attempting to save the animal by pushing it back into the sea as waves hampered their efforts.
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