(Wellington) On a windswept New Zealand beach, apprentice lifeguards firmly hold the net, sink into the water and finally release a two-ton rubber whale into the sea.
“Keep the vent clear… you are too close to the tail, one blow can seriously injure you and the whale,” an instructor yells at his students in the Wellington rain.
The hostile weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of the group, which managed to maneuver the pilot whale dummy – also called pilot dolphin – five meters long to hoist it onto a mattress surrounded by two inflatable tubes.
The large cetacean replica and a smaller 200 kg were eventually carried into deep water by volunteers trained by Project Jonah, a New Zealand whale rescue NGO.
Filled with water, the latex marine mammal prepares teams for real emergencies, with New Zealand experiencing one of the highest stranding records in the world.
Nearly 300 animals wash up in the country each year, according to official figures, and it is not uncommon to see groups of 20 to 50 pilot dolphins stranded on a beach.
The numbers can even climb to the hundreds when a “super shoal” is involved, as in 2017 when nearly 700 pilot dolphins stranded.
“There will always be strandings, there was one Monday, there will probably be another one next week,” explains Project communications manager Jonah Louisa Hawkes to the thirty or so budding rescuers during their training in Wellington.
And you don’t have to wait a week for a sad event to occur. While training is taking place, a baby dolphin pilot is found on the coast of Christchurch, on the other side of the country.
While training continues in a municipal hall, an NGO coordinator paces outside, providing advice over the phone to wildlife rangers who, more than 400 km away, are trying to save the island. animal.
In vain. Its school could not be located and the cetacean was euthanized a few hours later.
“A perfect whale trap”
“Strandings are very emotionally trying,” explains Mme Hawkes to volunteers. “When a whale isn’t released it can hurt a lot, especially if you’ve bonded with it.”
Besides the emotional aspect, rescuing cetaceans carries many physical risks, such as injuries caused by the restlessness of the animal.
The whale’s vent gives off bacteria and fungi, and the water around stranded animals is quickly contaminated with feces and blood that can attract sharks.
Even corpses present a danger: during decomposition, the belly fills with gas, which can cause the carcass to explode.
No one knows why whales and dolphins run aground, but Mr.me Hawkes argues for a reason: it happens when old, sick, or injured mammals come close to shore and other shoal members follow them.
She also relates that an orca, a male named Nobby, was rescued seven times on the beaches of the North Island where she found herself while hunting for stingrays for food.
Most mass strandings in New Zealand involve pilot dolphins on gently sloping beaches, jamming their sonar and making them believe they are in open water.
Other members of the bench then attempt to respond to their distress signals and are in turn trapped.
“This is what we call a perfect whale trap,” says Mme Hawkes.
A link has also been established between strandings and explosions of underwater mines or exercises by military navies.
4000 volunteers
Most injured cetaceans are found to be malnourished, with stomachs full of plastic pollution.
Established in 1974, Project Jonah is seen as a leader in whale rescue, assisting in training police and conservation services in New Zealand.
The NGO has a network of 4000 volunteers, mostly ordinary people who have undergone basic training to become marine mammal rescuers.
“I swim in the ocean and have seen many dead whales; I want to know what to do in the situation where there is a chance to save them, ”explains Wellington teacher Leonora Hoke.