Seal
Rescue : Sizewell, U.K.
16th
August
The
fone went just after finishing our evening meal about 8.20pm Saturday
16 Aug 03 - Faye "How near to Sizewell are you....?" and
explained she'd had a call about a possibly abandoned/ill seal on
the beach. So I scrabbed about and got some kit together - setting
off a few minutes later for the 20 min or so ride. My wife Gwen and
my daughter Amy and her "future" Jamie came too to hold
torches, camera, otherwise help etc.
We arrived to find the seal surrounded by about 30 onlookers ( the
beach was just below a holiday caravan park ) most of whom were kids
10-14. They were great - went back when asked; but some of the adults!
rooted! rude! Amy and Jamie helped there!
The seal was near the waters edge and after a brief chat with the
originating caller, a Mrs Cuthbert, was told the seal had been there
at least a couple of hours, had gone into the water a few times and
been washed back / returned, and had had the unwelcome attention of
some gulls.. So what next - my first callout and an audience? It was
now dusk and by torchlight I was trying to assess the seal from a
couple of metres when it darted for the sea. In it went but came back
a few metres down the shore within a minute or so.
Try again!
Less than a metre long, a common seal that - to me - looked a bit
undernourished. There was a bit of blood from the nose/mouth area
and blood spotting the back and neck.
The sea was beckoning again - no way! Training kicked in and she was
captured and Faye quickly updated by phone, who decided to turn out.
We took the seal back to my car away from the onlookers and settled
it in the back of the estate to await Faye. In the meantime we were
plied with coffee and bikkies! from a camper.
Faye turned up and did a quick exam to reveal it was a female pup
about a month (or less). She was tubed and then me and Gwen did the
run to East Winch ( RSPCA Wildlife Hospital ). We live about an hour
closer than Faye does and she took Amy & Jamie home for us - thanks
for that.
At the weigh-in the now-named Flopsy was 9kg-odd and temperature had
gone up to 39.9 - she was fed and watered to remain for rehab. No
apparent serious injuries found.
Regards
Tony Wooderson
Marine Mammal Medic
Seasearch Courses
Hello to everyone,
Several people
have enquired recently to ask if there will be any Seasearch courses
in the near future. This is to let you know that the organisers are
hoping to run an Observer course on Saturday 11th Oct, with a shore
dive for suitably qualified divers on the Sunday. The course will
most likely be run in Menai Bridge, North Wales, and will cost less
than £30 per person. If interested keep an eye on http://www.menaisubaqua.org
for updated information - finalised details by the end of the month.
Please forward this message if you know anyone else who might be interested.
All the best,
George
Marine Awareness North Wales
http://www.saveourseas.co.uk
Response re :
Seal breaks swimmer's foot to save her pup, 15th August
I would just like to make a quick response to the story that's been
in various newspapers this week regarding Levi Clarke who was 'attacked'
by a seal whilst swimming off Leigh on Sea, Essex. Levi was indeed
injured by a seal. I met up with Levi on Friday and he told me that
the seal swam into his foot but did not bite or savage him as some
newspapers suggested. He is quite concerned that his story has been
told incorrectly and does not want people thinking that seals have
now starting attacking humans. We don't know why the seal injured
Levi but are fairly confident that it was not protecting its pup because
there are no maternally dependant pups off Leigh at the moment! Levi
also said that the seal was six foot long; if this description is
correct then it is far more likely that it was a grey seal (there
are about 10 in the Estaury) who do not pup until Oct/Nov.
Just wanted to
set the record straight!!
Faye
Archell
BDMLR Essex Coordinator
A
Happy story - hopefully a happy ending
18th
August
In April of this
year, BDMLR Montrose Coordinator Elaine Roft observed a grey seal
pup that was in need of medical attention. With the Aberdeen and Dundee
coordinators on a rescue at Loch Lomond, Mark Lumgair from the SSPCA
was called in to assist Elaine in uplifting the pup for rehabilitation
at Middlebank. Sadly, the pup was put back into the water by a member
of the public (who thought they were doing the right thing) before
the pup had a chance of being uplifted. Whilst attending a local gala
this month, the Montrose team were delighted when a local chap produced
photos of a seal that he had taken. Elaine scanned her records, and
was overwhelmed to see that "Rocky" was still alive.
James Barnett
was notified that the pup, now a juvenille was still suffering from
possible seal pox / lungworm / dehydration and malnourishment and
was asked for his advice. An appeal along with a photograph was placed
in the local paper this week asking locals to keep an eye out for
"Rocky", and coordinators Gareth Norman and Nick Duthie
have offered assistance in uplifting him if and when he turns up again.
Sadly Middlebank have refused to take him in for Rehab in light of
his possible seal pox, and due to the fact that they are busy, but
hopefully BDMLR medic Tim, from Fraserburgh will accommodate him short
term. To date, there has been 20 calls from the public who are helping
the medics to patrol on a daily basis, covering the 10 mile radius
that "Rocky" seems to be covering. Fingers crossed that
we are able to locate him when he hauls out in his favourite coves,
and we can give him the T.L.C. that he requires and deserves. Thanks
to Gareth Norman of the Tayforth Group for supplying the Montrose
team with a stretcher meantime.
Elaine
Roft
British Divers Marine Life Rescue
Montrose Area Coordinator
Icelandic
Whalers Harpoon First Whale
18th August
Icelandic
whalers harpooned their first minke whale in 14 years Monday, the
marine scientist in charge of the controversial hunt said.
The United States immediately threatened to consider slapping a trade
embargo on the North Atlantic island.
"They have
caught the first whale," Gisli Vikingsson, of the Icelandic Marine
Research Institute, told Reuters.
The whale was
caught in waters west of Iceland by whalers on board the ship Njordur,
one of three vessels taking part.
"It all
went very well. Now they are doing measurements and research,"
said Vikingsson, on board one of the other two boats.
The three whale
boats left port in the early hours Sunday after receiving their hunting
permits Friday for what the authorities have described as scientific
purposes -- primarily the impact on fish stocks.
Commercial hunting
of whales has been outlawed since 1986 because seven of the 13 great
whale species are endangered.
Iceland, which
ceased whaling in 1989 under international pressure, says it must
control whales to protect fish stocks and protect the livelihood of
its fishermen.
An estimated
43,000 minke whales are believed to live in Icelandic waters, eating
2 million tons of fish and krill every year.
'EXTREMELY
DISAPPOINTED'
State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States was "extremely
disappointed" with Iceland's decision.
He said hunting
the whales would "likely trigger a review by the Department of
Commerce of Iceland's lethal scientific whaling process program for
possible certification under the Pelly Amendment."
The Pelly certification
authorizes the president to use his discretion to ban imports of products
a country cited as undermining an international conservation regime,
such as the International Whaling Commission.
Environmentalists
were also outraged at the catch. "I am sickened to hear this
news," Jill Sanders of the International Fund for Animal Welfare
told Reuters.
"We had
really hoped Iceland would rethink this decision -- until now,"
she said.
Sanders was among
the opponents who had gone out to sea trying to track the whale boats
but was back in Reykjavik when the first catch was reported.
"They obviously
waited until the cameras were gone. What are they trying to hide?"
she said.
Environmental
campaign group Greenpeace's vessel Rainbow Warrior has set course
for Iceland from the South Atlantic and is expected to arrive toward
the end of August.
Greenpeace fears
Iceland's resumed whale hunt, which will continue after the catch
of the first minke whale, could be a first step toward the resumption
of commercial whaling.
( source : www.reuters.co.uk
)
WHITE
WHALE SLAMS YACHT - Australia
19th
August
A NORTH
Queensland boatie may have collided with a rare albino humpback whale
while sailing his newly refurbished trimaran from Cardwell to Magnetic
Island.
An
astonished David Snell yesterday told how a 12m white shape emerged
from the ocean about 4m in front of his vessel Cirro on Saturday.
In a split second the whale had lifted the $85,000 trimaran from the
water, smashing a hole the size of a dinner plate in the hull and
ripping off the centre keel, which became lodged just below the whale's
hump.
Mr Snell had
to fight for more than four hours to keep Cirro afloat and guide it
safely on to the beach at Nelly Bay.
Yesterday afternoon
the Environment Protection Agency and Queensland Parks and Wildlife
Service chartered a small aircraft to scour the ocean for the whale
in a bid to assess the whale's injuries.
( Pic : the elusive
Mingaloo swims off the Gold Coast and (inset) David Snell )
Sea World marine
sciences director Trevor Long, who has been dubbed the Prince of Whales
for his experience with humpbacks off the Gold Coast, said he doubted
the whale would be seriously hurt because of the type of vessel and
speed involved in the collision.
The real question
on everyone's lips, though, was whether the creature was the elusive
great white whale known as Migaloo -- an Aboriginal word for "white
fella".
Mr Long said
scientists knew Migaloo was making his way up the coast but did not
know his exact location.
"Eighty
per cent of humpbacks have a lot of white on them. Whether this was
the pure one or not . . ." Mr Long said.
"They (whales)
are very inquisitive -- some even scratch their backs on the underside
of boats.
"It is not
a common occurrence (for a whale to surface under a vessel) but it
certainly is not unheard of."
Mr Snell, who
has 20 years' experience sailing the North Queensland coastline, was
18.5 nautical miles northeast of Magnetic Island's Horseshoe Bay when
the collision occurred.
He had been admiring
his newly painted and fitted-out vessel.
"I was so
happy thinking how beautiful she was and how well she handled,"
Mr Snell said.
"I was in
harmony with it all. That morning, before I left Northeast Bay, I
did hope I would see a whale. This was just a really weird phenomenon.
"I had no
motor running. I have no idea why it did it."
Mr Snell said
he saw something white beneath the water but thought it was a sunken
shipping container.
He said it took
him a while to realise the object was rising, that it was a whale
and he did not have time to avoid a collision.
After hitting
what felt like a "brick wall", Mr Snell said he started
taking on water almost immediately.
He made a mayday
call at 8.30am Saturday, which was picked up by a vessel off Rattlesnake
Island and relayed to the Coastguard, and began to pump out the water
gushing into the boat.
By 10am other
vessels had arrived to assist Mr Snell and with the aid of the Coastguard,
Cirro was gently steered to Nelly Bay.
While the damage
is repairable, Mr Snell said it will put him thousands of dollars
out of pocket as the vessel was not insured.
He joined the
QPWS in warning boaties to take care and be watchful when out on the
water.
Humpback whales
are on their annual migration up the coast for breeding.
( source : www.townsvillebulletin.news.com.au
)
Breakwater,
and said he was concerned about them.
I
asked them to assist us by providing a 'surface wall' behind the RIBs
and to tap gently on their canoes with their knuckles if the dolphins
approached. They were asked not to use their paddles apart from to
paddle with. Of course these canoes had no propellers and as a result
were to become invaluable to the rescue.
( Pic credit : BBC )
the
whales onto a sling at their holding lagoon and then lift them,
one at a time, onto boats for the 14-mile trip. 
size
of the palm of a hand, to allow experts to monitor their progress.
of
death until after the necropsy, but say it was likely the whale
overheated in the sun. 
It
was two-hour ordeal. They kept rolling, pushing and dragging the
whale back out into the water. But, while they're intentions were
good, marine biologists say it's best just to leave a beached whale
alone. 
placed
into captivity," said Annelise Sorg of the Coalition for No Whales
in Captivity. "It's a ridiculous idea."