Royal National Park Beaches Closed After Sperm Whale Carcass Found

Apr 26, 2026, 11:01

Introduction

Authorities in New South Wales have closed several beaches south of Sydney after finding the body of a large sperm whale. This discovery has led to an increase in shark activity in the area.

Main Body

On Saturday morning, lifesavers found a partial sperm whale carcass on the rocks at the southern end of Era Beach. The whale weighed about 25 tonnes and measured between 8.5 and 9 metres. Brendon Neilly, a manager for NSW National Parks and Wildlife, explained that the body is already quite decomposed. Although the cause of death is not yet known, Mr. Neilly emphasized that the carcass does not currently pose a risk to public health. As a result, several areas in the Royal National Park have been closed, including Garie, Era, Wattamolla, and Burning Palms beaches, as well as the Figure Eight Pools and the Coast track. These closures are happening during the Anzac weekend public holiday. Authorities decided to restrict access because bull and great white sharks have been seen near the carcass. To manage the risk, Surf Life Saving NSW is using drones and jet skis for monitoring and has told patrol teams to remain highly alert. Removing the whale has proven difficult due to several logistical problems. Because of its size, officials claimed that towing the body into deeper water is not a viable option. Furthermore, the site can only be reached on foot, and there are few places to bury it on land. The current plan is to move the carcass to a location where it can be transported by road to a waste facility, though this is not expected to happen until next week. Additionally, authorities are working with the Illawarra Land Council to ensure the process respects the cultural importance of sperm whales to the Dharawal people.

Conclusion

The affected beaches and park areas will stay closed until the carcass is removed and the risk from sharks has decreased.

Vocabulary Learning

alert (adj.)
watchful / quick to notice any unusual or dangerous circumstances警覺的；警惕的
Example:Drivers must remain alert when traveling on narrow mountain roads.
emphasize (v.)
highlight / to give special importance to something強調；重視
Example:The teacher emphasized the importance of arriving on time for the exam.
monitor (v.)
observe / to watch and check a situation carefully over time監測；監察
Example:The security team is monitoring the building using several cameras.
pose (v.)
present / to create a threat, problem, or danger造成；構成（危險、威脅等）
Example:The abandoned building poses a serious safety risk to the neighborhood.
restrict (v.)
limit / to keep something within certain limits限制；約束
Example:The government decided to restrict the use of plastic bags in supermarkets.

Sentence Learning

Although the cause of death is not yet known, Mr. Neilly emphasized that the carcass does not currently pose a risk to public health.
Concession & Passive Voice: This sentence uses 'although' to contrast the unknown cause of death with the lack of health risk, while using the passive voice 'is not yet known' for formal reporting.讓步子句與被動語態：此句子使用「although」（雖然）來對比死因不明與不構成健康風險的情況，並使用被動語態「is not yet known」（尚不清楚）進行正式報導。
As a result, several areas in the Royal National Park have been closed, including Garie, Era, Wattamolla, and Burning Palms beaches, as well as the Figure Eight Pools and the Coast track.
Cause and Effect & Present Perfect Passive: 'As a result' introduces the consequence of the discovery, and 'have been closed' indicates an action completed in the past with current relevance.因果關係與現在完成式被動語態：「As a result」（結果）引出發現屍體後的後果，而「have been closed」（已被關閉）則表示過去完成且對現狀有影響的動作。
The current plan is to move the carcass to a location where it can be transported by road to a waste facility, though this is not expected to happen until next week.
Relative Clause & Passive Voice: The relative adverb 'where' adds essential information about the 'location', and the passive voice 'is not expected' focuses on the event rather than the person.關係子句與被動語態：關係副詞「where」為「location」（地點）提供必要的補充資訊，而被動語態「is not expected」（預計不會）將焦點放在事件本身而非執行者。
Authorities decided to restrict access because bull and great white sharks have been seen near the carcass.
Reason & Present Perfect Passive: The conjunction 'because' explains the logic behind the decision, while 'have been seen' reports sightings without specifying who saw them.原因子句與現在完成式被動語態：連詞「because」（因為）解釋了決定背後的邏輯，而「have been seen」（已被看見）則在不指明目擊者的情況下報導目擊事件。
To manage the risk, Surf Life Saving NSW is using drones and jet skis for monitoring and has told patrol teams to remain highly alert.
Infinitive of Purpose: The sentence starts with an infinitive phrase to clearly state the objective of the actions taken by authorities.不定式表示目的：句子以不定式短語「To manage the risk」（為了管理風險）開頭，明確說明當局採取行動的目的。