The rescue of a single stranded marine mammal is already a difficult situation to coordinate, but one that can usually be dealt with by a local specialised stranding network. A mass stranding, however, is on a whole different level and requires more hands than a small local group can provide. The Australian island Tasmania is a hotspot for mass whale strandings and therefore in dire need for staff and locals that know how to behave and help appropriately in such situations.
Besides their location near prime feeding grounds, the high amount of mass strandings in Tasmania might also be due to the social nature of the local species of sperm and pilot whales. If one whale beaches and calls out in distress, the others follow to investigate and assist, ultimately ending up in the same predicament.
The Department Of Primary Industries, Parks, Water And Environment (DPIPWE) coordinates the rescues, but when a stranding occurs, it is a community affair. Ingrid Albion trains volunteers and staff to be rescue-ready for the next mass whale stranding.
The close relationships the animals’ social group forms also force the rescue to wait for the right time. The whales need to be “parked” on the beach until the conditions are right to refloat all of them. Otherwise, the ones left behind might call out to their peers and bring them back. This wait can span up to a week, while the whales need to be constantly cared for.
Ingrid and her team teach the participants how this care is provided best with the help of a three-ton inflatable whale called Mark. Mark is sturdy, but with fins and tail easily ripped off he teaches the right way to treat and move the big mammals with wale mats. The blowhole needs to be outside the water so the animals can breathe. While the body sits in the water, the head needs to be facing towards the sand so they cannot call out to more animals. To prevent the mammals from suffering from severe sunburn, they need to be covered in watered sheets constantly. By the time the right refloating conditions come around, the whale is lifted on the whale mat, turned around to face the horizon and then slowly carried into deeper waters until it can swim away on its own.
Knowing how to approach the distressed animals on the beach increases the safety of the helper and the mammal itself. During the last five years, mass strandings in Tasmania have been “blessedly rare”. With such courses, Ingrid and her team hope to strengthen the necessary knowledge in people’s heads to facilitate successful community-based rescues when the time comes.
The full article can be found under https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-12-08/inflatable-whale-helping-communities-respond-to-mass-strandings/11640698
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