Decomposing whale carcass reemerges on Sydney's Malabar Beach

A whale carcass that had initially washed up on Sydney's eastern shore last week has resurfaced at Malabar Beach, prompting Randwick Council to close the beach. Large pieces of the decomposing whale were spotted floating against the shore on Tuesday morning, and the council had fenced them off just before.

Randwick Council lifeguards enforced a beach closure due to concerns that the carcass might attract sharks. A council spokesperson revealed that the staff intended to remove the carcass the following morning and would maintain the beach closure until further notice.

The juvenile whale carcass, previously found at Lurline Bay, had been transported to Malabar Beach by strong currents. Council lifeguards barricaded the area to ensure public safety. The young whale had initially arrived at Lurline Bay on Thursday last week, prompting Randwick Council to close both Maroubra and Coogee beaches as a precaution.

Council representatives and the Indigenous ranger group Gamay Rangers were among those responding to the carcass. Senior ranger Rob Cooley expressed a preference to allow nature to take its course, as the carcass was too difficult to reach with machinery and was in an advanced stage of decomposition. It had been discovered with rope around one of its pectoral fins, a reminder of a previous attempt to guide the whale back out to sea when it was first spotted off Sydney's northern beaches days before arriving at Lurline Bay.