--- title: "In Pictures – Young, dead humpback whale salvaged from Simon’s Town harbour" description: "A young humpback whale, known as Tango Bravo, was found dead near Simon’s Town harbor." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "PHOTO ESSAY" author: "Gunnar Oberhosel" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/gunnar-oberhoesel/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-11-09-in-pictures-young-humpback-found-dead-near-simons-town-harbour/" published: "2024-11-09T15:39:42" updated: "2024-11-09T17:57:37" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 406 --- # In Pictures – Young, dead humpback whale salvaged from Simon’s Town harbour > A young humpback whale, known as Tango Bravo, was found dead near Simon’s Town harbor. By Gunnar Oberhosel · Published 9 November 2024, 17:39 SAST · Updated 9 November 2024, 19:57 SAST ## Key points - In a tragic twist of fate, Simon's Town bids adieu to Tango Bravo, a young humpback whale found floating above a wreck, reminding us that even the ocean's giants can fall victim to the tangled mess of human neglect. - A humpback whale carcass, identified as Tango Bravo, was discovered floating in Simon's Town harbour on November 8. - Local resident Allison Thomson expressed concern over the whale's potential entanglement with debris from a nearby wreck. - Marine and Coastal Management initiated a complex retrieval operation, with the whale measuring 8.7 meters and believed to be a young male. - The cause of death remains undetermined, but the whale was in better condition than previous cases, with no visible signs of injury. ## Content A humpback whale carcass was first spotted floating in Simon's Town on Friday 8 November, in the morning. Local resident Allison Thomson reported the "sad sight" of the dead Humpback floating above the cable restorer wreck in Simon's Town harbour. "I am hoping it never died entangled in the mess of ropes floating above the wreck. This mess (wreck) needs to be sorted out, it has been left too long now." Thomson reported it to Marine and Coastal Management and by 8am, they were starting the complex operation of retrieving the carcass. The whale has been identified as Tango Bravo, the 46th multi-day feeder in western False Bay. The whale had been around for one week, measured 8.7 metres, and appeared to be a young male. ![The whale was towed into the Simon’s Town Naval Base after being found floating in the harbour on Tuesday morning. (Photo: Supplied)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Orm1eEqj8eTSU81MHFS7PZ34GCw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2001.jpg) *The whale was towed into the Simon’s Town Naval Base after being found floating in the harbour on Tuesday morning. (Photo: Supplied)* ![Alex Vogel identified the humpback whale as Tango Bravo, one of the last whales to be added to the “multi-day False Bay feeders” list (Photo: Chris Wilkinson)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/agw72Xu4iozkuZQ4WNknJJgTrA8=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2004.jpg) *Alex Vogel identified the humpback whale as Tango Bravo, one of the last whales to be added to the “multi-day False Bay feeders” list. Vogel is an administrator of the Cape Peninsula Whale and Dolphin Sightings Telegram group and regional data manager for Happywhale.com. (Photo: Chris Wilkinson)* ![Like human fingerprints, a whale's tail is uniquely shaped. The fluke allows researchers and citizen scientists to identify individual whales and upload photos to the Seafari App (Photo: Chris Wilkinson)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/CnVQcTgip2rzTau-giQpr6RjI1g=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2005.jpg) *Like human fingerprints, a whale's tail is uniquely shaped. The fluke allows researchers and citizen scientists to identify individual whales and upload photos to Happywhale.com. (Photo: Chris Wilkinson)* ![Wilkinson noted that this whale was in much better physical condition than the previous deceased whale. There were no visible signs of a propeller strike or boat impact, though the exact cause of death could not be determined (Photo: Chris Wilkinson)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/QIxzI0JBZSq7rJcP2dI_VcwLyyc=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2006.jpg) *Chris Wilkinson of the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit, noted that this whale was in much better physical condition than the previous deceased whale. There were no visible signs of a propeller strike or boat impact, though the exact cause of death could not be determined and may never be known as the City took the carcass to the local dumpsite. (Photo: Chris Wilkinson)* ![Chris Wilkinson, from the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit, takes samples from the deceased whale and later identifies it as a sub-adult male humpback (Photo: Gunnar Oberhosel)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/kUr_DFd5TsXaBEamu7sqlDNMdtw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DCS02307.jpg) *Chris Wilkinson, from the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit, takes samples from the deceased whale and later identifies it as a sub-adult male humpback. (Photo: Gunnar Oberhosel)* ![A team from the City of Cape Town wraps a rope around the whale's tail, preparing it for transport (Photo: Gunnar Oberhosel)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/EjlMzRn_04tLf-xwXC7HAodGv74=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DCS02316.jpg) *A team from the City of Cape Town ties a rope around the whale's tail, preparing it for transport (Photo: Gunnar Oberhosel)* ![The City of Cape Town prepares to move the humpback whale from the Simon’s Town Navy Base. (Photo: Gunnar Oberhosel)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/wmU9jkwTznXySvUq41AHAegp_4I=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DCS02342.jpg) *The City of Cape Town prepares to move the humpback whale from the Simon’s Town Navy Base. (Photo: Gunnar Oberhosel)* ![A glimpse of the humpback whale's eye (Photo: Gunnar Oberhosel)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/CW2uFelnXjnEpAdmui7gAu6DDKE=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DCS02409.jpg) *A glimpse of the humpback whale's eye (Photo: Gunnar Oberhosel)* ![The humpback whale is towed from the Simon’s Town Naval Base (Photo: Gunnar Oberhosel)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/l2kSkcM1UGvHgsY031GvpFGD6FM=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DCS02376.jpg) *The humpback whale, now tied to a flatbed truck, is transported from the Simon’s Town Naval Base (Photo: Gunnar Oberhosel)* ![Member of the South African Navy directs the truck onto the Simon's Town Main Road. (Photo: Sonja Funke)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/_pWlk91QYqjWvD6Dg8ZmHlUeQWA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_1632.jpg) *A member of the South African Navy directs the truck onto the Simon's Town Main Road. (Photo: Sonja Funke) DM*