Stranded Marine Animals in Hermanus – How to help?!
With a wealth of marine life inhabiting Hermanus’s bays and beaches, it’s not uncommon to come across a seemingly stranded marine animal along the shoreline. While your first instinct may be to rush to its rescue, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure both your own and the animal’s safety:
- Observe the animal from a distance. Spend some time watching it to establish whether it seems to be in distress, pain or discomfort. Keep other people and pets away from investigating it.
- Don‘t touch, pick it up or pour water on it. Even if it does seem in need of help, remain at a safe distance. Remember that these creatures are wild and may cause you harm out of a sheer instinctive need to protect themselves. Apart from this, your presence may cause it further stress.
- Don’t try to return it to the ocean. Some marine animals, such as seals, often make their way to shore to have a bit of a rest and would not appreciate you ushering it back into the waves. Just because the seal is not moving, or sitting alone, does not mean it is sick or in need of help.
- Report! If it does seem like the animal is in obvious distress, pain it should be reported to the relevant authorities. Time is of the essence, especially in the case of whales and dolphins that have beached.
- When reporting the stranded animal, it’s very important that you can identify what kind of creature it is. While you may not know the exact species, it will be important to explain whether it’s a whale, dolphin, seal, seagull, penguin etc, so that rescuers bring the correct equipment.
- Once you’ve identified it, being able to describe what sort of distress it’s in would also be helpful. Try to note any injuries, strange sounds, unusual movements, as well as any distinguishing physical features.
- Giving specific details about the animal’s location is of the utmost importance, as it would save the rescue team a lot of time not having to figure it out themselves.
- Don’t move from the spot until the rescue team arrives. They might need you to describe the scene prior to their arrival.
Who to call in Hermanus?
While you may think the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is limited to saving the lives of humans who find themselves stranded out at sea, they also play a vital role in helping marine mammals stranded on the shore.
Contact NSRI Hermanus on 082 990 5967 or dial 112 from your cell phone.
DONATE NSRI HERMANUS STATION 17
If you notice any obvious injuries please call the Environmental Management Section of Overstrand Municipality on 028 316 3724. You can also contact the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) in Gansbaai on 072 598 7117.
Alternatively, you can contact the South African National Stranding Network: 082 746 5579
Additional info supplied courtesy of Animal Ocean
