Latest news with #Tresfon
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
Deep sea creature washes ashore in South Africa village, photos show. ‘Very rare'
A sperm whale recently washed up on a beach in South Africa, a strikingly rare occurrence that hasn't happened in recent memory. The massive marine animal stranded in the shallow waters off Langezandt Fisherman's Village — located about 130 miles southeast of Cape Town — on Friday, May 23. Hours later, the whale was discovered dead on the shore, Jean Tresfon, a marine conservation photographer, wrote in a Facebook post. Photos and videos posted by Tresfon show the behemoth lying on its side, partially embedded in the sand. Its mouth was agape — revealing a row of sharp teeth on its lower jaw — and blood could be seen on its scarred head. 'Really sad to see,' Tresfon wrote. A video posted May 23 by the National Sea Rescue Institute, a South African non-profit, shows a whale floundering in the surf zone near the same beach. 'We are in contact with the DFFE Whale Disentanglement unit and at this stage there is nothing we or anyone else can do to assist,' the organization wrote before confirming in a follow-up post that the animal had died. The incident was described as highly unusual. 'Sperm whale strandings in South Africa are very rare,' Tresfon wrote, 'which is unsurprising given that they are deep water whales which are seldom seen close to shore.' Prior to this occurrence, the last documented stranding in South Africa took place in 2018 at Swartvlei Beach — about 215 miles east of Langezandt Fisherman's Village. The largest toothed whale species on Earth, sperm whales are found in deep parts of every ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The animals — which can weigh up to 45 tons — dive up to 2,000 feet deep to hunt squid, sharks and other deep sea dwellers. Threats to the species include entanglements with fishing gear, ocean contaminants and vessel strikes, according to NOAA. And, while the circumstances of this stranding are unusual, cetacean strandings in general are a relatively common occurrence. Globally, an estimated 2,000 whales and dolphins become stranded every year, with the majority being fatal, according to the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida, a non-profit.
The South African
10-05-2025
- The South African
Constantiaberg mountains blackened post wildfires
If you gaze up to the skies over the Western Cape, there's an excellent chance you'll spot marine conservation photographer Jean Tresfon flying overhead. Tresfon has been taking to the air for several years now, bringing those followers of his Facebook page award-winning photographs taken from his trusty gyrocopter. If you're not already one of his over 67 000 followers, we strongly suggest you do so. Following his most recent excursion, Tresfon wrote: 'Last week's fire in the Tokai, Silvermine and Kalk Bay areas was, by all accounts, a proper inferno that saw over 3 000 hectares of mountainside burnt, 190 households evacuated, countless wild animals killed and hundreds of firefighters plus a handful of water-bombing helicopters deployed to contain the blaze. 'It appears that the fire may have been deliberately started, and at least one suspect has been arrested and taken into custody. 'I say 'by all accounts' since I was not here to witness the conflagration personally. 'The fire started on the slopes of the Constantiaberg, in Tokai, on the day that my family and I departed for the school holidays, and for the entire week away I was bombarded with insane images and videos of burning mountains and helicopters engaged in water bombing across all the various media platforms. 'By the time I arrived back in Cape Town last weekend, the fire was pretty much contained and mopping up operations were underway. 'By now Capetonians are well used to fires and for the most part many have already moved on. 'But the damage remains and, understandably, SANParks has closed many of the local hiking and cycling trails in the affected areas. 'I was interested to see the scale of the devastation for myself now that the choppers and fire-fighting teams have stood down, so earlier this week I took a flight around the Peninsula to get an aerial view. 'The flanks of the mountain above Tokai, Westlake, Lakeside and Kalk Bay are all burnt, but by far the brunt of the blaze was in the Silvermine Nature Reserve. 'From the slopes of the Constantiaberg in the north to the Muizenberg and Kalk Bay mountains in the south, the entire area is a blackened mess that looks like a post-apocalyptic battleground. 'Ou Kaapse Weg runs through the middle of the devastation and neatly bisects the burn scar. 'At the Silvermine Dam parking lot the remains of a few burned out cars and a motorbike remain, and the river course is marked by the row of blackened trees. 'The fire has cleared much of the vegetation, even revealing the old mine shaft dating back to the 1680's when attempts were made to mine silver in the mountains. 'Although no silver was ever found, the activity still gave the area its name. 'Many will of course argue that fire is a natural part of the fynbos cycle and that the mountains will bounce back rapidly. 'While this is partly true, the optimal fire cycle time is 10-15 years and the shorter intervals being experienced in Cape Town lead to a reduction in biodiversity and the elimination of many shrub species. 'It also leads to an increase in human/wildlife conflict as the baboon troops that forage in these areas now have to find their food elsewhere. 'As usual, the pictures tell the story better than I ever could …' Published with the permission of Jean Tresfon Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
