South African authorities have launched an investigation into whether a whale that was photographed leaping onto a yacht was harassed before it breached, South Africa’s Independent Online reported Wednesday.
Paloma Werner and Ralph Mothes have said they floated for an hour watching the 33-foot (10-meter) whale in the waters off Cape Town before it breached. The whale landed on the boat and snapped its mast, then slid off, leaving behind blubber and skin.
But the manager of Waterfront Boat Company, which offers whale-watching trips, said his crew members told him they saw an inflatable raft and a yacht harassing the whale.
“They said the yacht kept coming to the whale,” Richard Smith said, according to Independent Online. “Speeding straight at it and annoying it.”
“You must know how to deal with whales,” Smith added. “By law, you are required to stay 300 meters (984 feet) away from them and if they approach you, you must move away.”
Alan Boyd, the manager for marine protection and endangered species for South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, said the agency was investigating statements from people who witnessed the incident.
“We are aware of the statements that indicate that a person was deliberately sailing towards the whale and harassing it. It’s good enough (reason) to investigate,” Boyd said, according to Independent Online.