BDMLR
Team return from whale disentanglement course
A team of 5 from BDMLR
were funded, by IFAW, to go to the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS)
in Cape Cod USA to learn how to tackle the problem of entangled
whales. Cape Cod has major lobster fishery and the whale population
get tangled in the pot lines etc.
CCS have become a lead authority in
the solving of these problems, so if you want to be the best get
taught by the best!!. We were there for 5 days in 6 days in total.
Day 1 was spent with David and Brian looking at their whales. It
was incredible!! What more can I say?
Day 2 and 3 were spent in the class
room looking at case studies and learning the methodology of the
work. How the approaches were made and how the assessments are arrived
at. We also had the chance to see the actual cutting of the entanglements.
CCS teams all wear helmet cameras during these rescues. It was during
this time that we got to handle the equipment, the special grapples,
clips and “flying knives”. It all seemed fairly straight
forward, we had to throw a grapple a t rope and catch it, then we
used clips and finally knives on poles. Piece of cake, in the car
park.. But Oh dear it got harder.
Try standing in the front of a small
inflatable boat (no hands) at around 5 or 6 knots. Then imagine
throwing a 4lb grapple a rope being dragged through the water. If
you manage to throw it the 30 feet or so you have to haul the rope
in like mad. And secure it in the bow of the boat. Then you are
on the “Nantucket Sleigh ride” (Google it). If not you
have to coil the and start again. It’s very tiring and bruising!
Once you are attached to the trailing fishing gear you have to deploy
the orange buoy. This allows you to throw the “control line”
overboard in an emergency and get it back later (we did have such
an emergency and a graphic example of how quickly things go wrong
when Geoff Hammock and I got into a bit of bother, this led to muggings
having to leave the boat via the back door OUCH.
In the videos you will see the control
rope buoy being deployed and the team pulling themselves up the
rope until they are actually attached to the fishing gear. It is
from this position that the cutting can take place. It is vital
not to cut the rope you are attached to!! (bit like sawing the wrong
branch off a tree, you know the one you are sitting on!)
This is all
very tiring work and we will need to practice, as a team, to build
on our skills and make sure the next time we get an entangled whale
we can give it our best shot. Enjoy the little videos. They were
only taken on my little digital camera so they are not great. A
clue, look at the orange buoy. Notice how it is being dragged under
the water then try to imagine how hard it was to pull yourself up
the rope. NOT ONCE but repeatedly. There were 5 big blokes ready
for bed most nights at 9.
Watch a short
video of part of the training by clicking - HERE
Really big thanks to all at CCS. They
were great and do a fantastic job. There will be a longer article
in the next newsletter, with some still pics too I hope
Mark
Stevens
Director
BDMLR
Chairman of Trustees receives the OBE
17th
June 2006
BDMLR
Chairman, and CEO of International Animal Rescue, Alan Knight has
today been honoured in the Queens Birthday List by receiving the
OBE*.
The official line on the list is "for
services to Animal Welfare" and is for his work with BDMLR
and IAR.
Alan was one of the
founders of BDMLR and has worked tirelessly for its aims since the
late 1980's. He is also the Chief Executive of International
Animal Rescue which works closely with BDMLR.
If you would like
to leave a message of congratulations for Alan, please go to our
Message Board where
there is an open thread in the General Chat forum.
Well done Alan .....
much deserved ! 
Tony Woodley
- BDMLR
Press statement with
comment from Alan - HERE
Download the full Honours List CLICK
HERE - Alan can be found on page 30
[ * OBE = Officer
of the Order of the British Empire ]
More
Fulmar Rescues for Montrose Medics
10th
June
Checking the kilns today yielded another 3
trapped birds. Only cause for concern was the fact that one bird
was slightly injured by the rubbish that lies in the bottom of this
hole. It ran through a section of wire cable which is rusty and
broken. A broken end cable must have pierced its side however it
was only a slight cut and the bird was deemed fit to fly after checking
him. A measure of how cluttered this hole is can be seen in the
picture below, an attempt, at some time, may be made to remove this
wildlife danger. Birds were released at approximately 14.00 and
thanks is given to Medic Bob Pert's wife, Julie, for her help.
Elaine Roft
British Divers Marine Life Rescue - Montrose/Arbroath Area Co-ordinator
Seal
checked at Hartlepool
6 June 2006
Hartlepool Beach
Air temp 19C dropping to 14C at evening
Light breeze. Mostly sunny
I was contacted by Trevor Weeks who advised
that there was a grey seal reported injured at Hartlepool beach.
Trevor sent me contact details of the person who called it in, a
Mr Keith Taylor.
En route I spoke to Keith who advised that
the seal had been on the beach for well over 24 hours and had variously
been harassed by dogs and people.
Upon arrival I found that the seal (approx
1 year old and male) seemed to favour lying on only one side. Otherwise,
mobility seemed ok. He could move his head around fully and was
as feisty as any grey could be. There was no blood or discolouration
around the nose or mouth and the eyes were clear and wet. I was
concerned about the large amount of fur that had been lost on the
seal’s neck, flanks and back. Lisa Starks (MMM) arrived shortly
with a camera phone.
Photos were taken and sent to James Barnett,
who was concerned by a seemingly swollen left shoulder and the propensity
for the seal not to want to lie over on that side. James advised
that this may be a dislocation or an abscess under the skin.
After much consideration of the photographs
James advised it would be best to bring the seal in for close examination
and observation.
Richard Ilderton brought down a vari-kennel
and David Wilson (MMM) and his son Wayne (MMM) volunteered to take
it to Scarborough Sea Life Centre where Bev Drayton had arranged
at very short notice to have the animal inspected and accommodated.
The seal was put into the vari-kennel using
‘Plan B’ technique. Richard Ilderton advised in detail
a textbook plan capture of the seal and everyone was given a specific
role in the capture. The team ‘read back’ their individual
instruction/role so we were all clear on who would do what.
David and Wayne would keep the seal visually
occupied and block any possible escape route to the sea while Richard
would jump the seal. I would come in behind and put retraining weight
on the seal so that Richard could take his leg from the side of
the seal and still hold the towel around its head. Lisa would hold
open the vari-kennel door.
Unfortunately no one told the seal about ‘Plan
A’. He was within earshot but Richard does have a quiet speaking
voice.
Richard threw the towel. The seal proceeded
to shred the towel and make a break for it down the beach hissing
and growling and snapping at anything in its path. Unfortunately
(for me) I was that ‘anything in its path’. The seal
ran towards me (yes they can bloody run!) and I, showing great presence
of mind, ran backwards away from it.
I have since found out that a seal can run
forwards faster than a frightened man can run backwards. The seal
gained on me rapidly and proceeded to snap at my upper thighs and
genital area. Showing great presence of mind (and probably a protective
instinct) My fiancée Lisa managed to get the cage between
me and the seal. The seal flew into the cage so hard it banged its
nose. . The door was snapped shut and we had a captured seal.
For a seal with a suspected duff shoulder it
really could move. I should have spotted that there and then, reported
it in and saved a lot of people a lot of time, money and hassle.
Alas I was too stupid to do so.
The seal was transported down to Scarborough
where we met up with Bev and Ryan Drayton, who had gone to the trouble
of arranging accommodation at the Sea Life Centre. Sea Life staff
Lynsey and Clare arrived and carried the vari-kennelled seal into
the centre, shaming all of us wimps who didn’t want to touch
the cage because the seal had filled it with wee and poo.
Lynsay, Clare and Bev then showed us exactly
how a seal should be handled and details recorded. Lynsey and Clare
did a textbook capture with a towel (years of experience) and managed
to administer relevant treatment to the seal despite it being very
aggressive and very strong. It was breathtaking to watch and certainly
nerve wracking.
At this point it was pointed out that the seal
was very definitely healthy and the fur loss down to bare skin was
not unusual. It was as this point I realised how much trouble I
had caused to all of the BDMLR volunteers and Sea Life Staff. To
say I felt stupid and embarrassed is an understatement.
The seal was released the next day after being
transported back from the Sea Life Centre to Hartlepool. I am not
sure who carried out the transportation but I would to thank them
for doing so.
Thank you and apologies to:
Keith Taylor
David Wilson (MMM)
Wayne Wilson (MMM)
Lisa Starks (MMM)
Bev Drayton (Regional Area Co-ordinator)
Ryan Drayton (MMM)
Trevor Weeks (National Co-ordinator)
James Barnett (RCVS BDMLR)
Richard Ilderton (Regional Area Co-Ordinator)
Lynsay and Clare at Sea Life Centre
Graeme Shaw
- Assistant Coordinator Tyne Tees Area
Redcar
Seal Report
3rd June
Date............Friday 2nd June.
Time...........10.00pm.
Location......Redcar sea front, near Leo's pub and disco.
Weather and tide....Lovely warm evening, visibility very good, approx
1+1/2 hours after high tide, sea was calm.
Access to beach.....Easy. Down the slipway, approx 10 feet to the
right.
Disturbance.........No dogs on beach, about 10-12 people near seal
( at a distance of approx 6-8 foot away)
No other seals were spotted although we were told that there were
two more seen nearby earlier in the day.
Appearance........probably a grey seal, appeared to be about 3foot
long.
Condition............Very much alive,active and alert. Plump, good
breathing, clear eyes.
Trauma........We were told that the seal was bleeding from it's
rear, but when checked it appeared not as bad as we thought. Minor
wound on rear flipper, about the size of a one penny piece.
Summary.
When we arrived at the site we were met by the coastguard (two people)
who informed us that there was a seal on the beach and they would
assist us in any way needed. One of them told us that the sea had
been rough the previous couple of days and the seal was bleeding
from it's rear end. Fearing the worst, we (David and Wayne) looked
at the area but could only see a small wound, about the size of
a one penny piece on a rear flipper. It did not look severe, and
on hearing that Graeme and Lisa were on the way, we were happy to
wait for their advice as what to do next. I informed the coastguard
that we were expecting two more experienced medics to arrive, and
that we thought the seal would be okay where it was for the forseeable
future. The coastguards then left but told us that if we needed
them they were only a phone call away (just dial 999). The public
were asking questions about the seal, and we did our best to keep
them informed, and when a lady asked if we 'should roll it into
the sea' , we explained that it was okay were it was! At this time
the seal was about 20 feet from the water-line, high tide was at
8.26pm. From the look of the seal, nicely plump and alert, we believed
the wound was only minor and that the seal was merely resting (
a couple of miles either way and no-one would have seen it) .Fortunately,
Graeme and Lisa arrived and agreed that it was fine and having a
rest. We waited and watched until it went into the sea at approx
1.05am Saturday 3rd June. The local police were very helpful, coming
to check that we were not being disturbed by locals, 'oh, while
i'm here do you think I could take a photo'.
David and
Wayne Wilson BDMLR
