Daring land transfer exercise planned for stranded whales
Archived content: This media release was accurate on the date of publication.
Introduction
The 24 pilot whales stranded at Spirits Bay will be moved by truck and trailer units later today to Rarawa Beach.Date: 24 September 2010
8.25am
The 24 pilot whales stranded at Spirits Bay will be moved by truck and trailer units later today to Rarawa Beach.
The plucky whales spent last night with carers in a stream at the southern end of the bay. They will be lifted onto the trailer units and driven 50km south to Rarawa Beach.
Whale researcher Karen Stockin was on site yesterday and said the survivors were in very good condition, “Much better than the whales which stranded last month at Karikari. These whales had obviously recently eaten and appear strong.”
Vehicles, boats, hay bales, flotation mats, vast quantities of food and lots of people comprised yesterday’s resource request list for the daring rescue exercise. Plenty of padding and wet covering are required to keep the whales safe on their land journey.
The load, drive, unload and refloat exercise is expected to take most of the day and more volunteers have been sought to assist at Rarawa Beach.
Safety considerations will be paramount, said incident controller Jonathon Maxwell.
“This is a complex operation at each stage but particularly once we start moving the whales back into the water. The combination of factors we have at this stranding is a bit unusual too, so we need to be extra careful in how we plan and execute the rescue effort.”
The Department of Conservation is extremely grateful for the help it is receiving from volunteers and especially the Te Hapua community, Mr Maxwell said.
“Food, shelter and on the ground assistance have all been willingly offered and there’s a great spirit of co-operation. Everyone is looking forward to a good outcome today.”
Contact
Te Hiku / Kaitaia Office | |
Phone: | +64 9 408 6014 |
Fax: | +64 9 408 6019 |
Email: | kaitaia@doc.govt.nz |
Address: |
25 Matthews Ave Kaitaia 0441 |
Postal Address: |
PO Box 569 Kaitaia 0441 |
Full office details |
See previous media releases:
Volunteers still sought for whale rescue effort in the Far North - 23 Sept 2010, 6.00pm
Rescue effort tackles logistics of saving stranded whales - 23 Sept 2010, 1.00pm
Day two for Spirits Bay whale rescuers - 23 Sept 2010, 9.40am
Another mass whale stranding in the Far North - 22 Sept 2010