A two-year-old whale was reported floating upside down and tangled in shark nets.
Authorities have received a shocking video of what appears to be a person standing on top of a dead humpback whale south of Sydney.
A two-year-old whale was reported floating upside down off Wombarra Beach, in northern Wollongong, with its tail and fin tangled in shark nets on Tuesday morning.
It remained out at sea as choppy weather conditions prevented authorities from retrieving the eight-metre body.
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ORRCA, an animal rescue organisation, received reports from the public that there seemed to be someone on the whale later that same afternoon.
"We are surprised to see that footage," ORRCA spokesperson Pip Jacobs said.
"The majority of the local community have been incredibly respectful and sad regarding this whale all entangled in the shark net. However, occasionally we do see behaviour of this type.
"It is disrespectful."
Jacobs said dead animals are protected under legislation, making the incident illegal.
It also poses a risk to human safety due to potential disease transmission, the size and weight of the whale, and attracting sharks to the area.
"ORRCA will encourage everyone to always maintain a safe and respectful distance in situations like this for their own safety," Jacobs said.
ORRCA has reported the incident to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
9news.com.au has contacted the National Parks and Wildlife Service for comment.
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The City of Wollongong Council acknowledged that people may want to see the whale, which has since washed ashore onto a rock shelf north of Scarborough Beach, but urged them to stay away.
"We understand this situation has attracted many passionate community members down to Scarborough Beach," the council said.
"However, for public safety, we urge residents to please stay away from the carcass site and to not enter the nearby water.
"We recognise that the presence of a deceased whale can also be upsetting for many in our community. These animals are significant both environmentally and culturally, and their loss is taken seriously."
The City of Wollongong is working with specialists to remove and dispose of the body when the tide and other conditions are favourable.
Until then, the body has been secured to its current position.
The nearby patrolled beaches of Coalcliff, Scarborough and Coledale, Stanwell Park and Austinmer have been temporarily closed.
Surf Life Saving Illawarra confirmed there have been multiple shark sightings, including one white pointer, as the carcass attracts them into nearby waters.
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Council will reopen the beaches when it is safe to do so.
The whale's death has prompted renewed calls to remove shark nets, which go up at 51 beaches across eight councils between Newcastle and Wollongong when temperatures begin to warm from September.
"What further proof do governments need that shark nets do not work, and can even attract sharks to beaches where they can feed on marine wildlife caught in these barbaric walls of death," Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) confirmed it has shared the video with NSW Police.
"We are shocked that people would think this is acceptable. It is disrespectful and dangerous behaviour," an NPWS spokesperson said.
"There are diseases and physical risks as well as penalties for interfering with dead whales."
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