Lara Kempnich told 9News she filmed the dead whale remains in the whitewash on the southern side of the creek mouth at Pottsville earlier today.
Kempnich posted the footage to the town’s community Facebook page today.
The location for burial was chosen in consultation with Tweed Shire Council, the EPA and Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council Rangers
The community response was mixed, with many locals believing the carcass should have been towed to sea.
In a statement, Tweed Shire Council’s Manager of Sustainability and Environment Jane Lofthouse explained that the decision to bury the whale was made based on the “best information available at the time.”
She mentioned that the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) had chosen to bury the carcass following the guidelines of the NSW Environment Protection Agency. The guidelines specified that the burial should be above the water table, away from drainage lines or watercourses, and in free-draining, oxygen-rich soils such as beach sand.
Lofthouse acknowledged that the extreme surf conditions resulting from the cyclone were unforeseen, causing concerns about the carcass being exposed, a matter that has raised community apprehension as well.
She said council would liaise with NPWS on how to dispose of the carcass once the cyclone has passed.
Community members are asked to avoid the area and not touch the carcass for health and safety reasons.
