A popular beach in Perth’s northern suburbs has been closed after a whale carcass was sighted on Sunday morning, triggering a shark alert for the area.
The whale carcass was reported by Surf Life Saving WA at 7.10am and as a result, the City of Joondalup promptly closed the beach for the safety of beachgoers.
Authorities said once the carcass has been removed, the beach will be reopened, but at this stage it is not known when that will be.
A shark advice alert is also in place as it’s “possible the carcass will act as an attractant that could lead to sharks coming in close to the shore”.
Officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development are currently monitoring the situation and providing advice to relevant authorities.
It comes after a juvenile whale carcass washed ashore at Dutch Inn Beach, just south of Cottesloe Beach, about 6.15am on Thursday.
Town of Cottesloe rangers and a contractor removed the carcass with a single scoop excavator at 12.15pm as dozens of locals watched on.
It was taken to the Red Hill Waste Management Facility.
It marked the second time in three weeks whale remains ended up on Perth’s coastline, after a 31-tonne humpback whale drew thousands of onlookers and huge great white sharks to South City Beach last month.
The City Beach whale was also disposed of at Red Hill.