One of the many groups attempting to return the whales to the sea.
One of the false killer whales who did not make it.
Different groups with different individuals, spread along the beach.
Volunteers helping whales, other volunteers helping volunteers - a kind man delivering hot drinks to shivering volunteers.
View along the beach, showing the crowds and the bulldozers ready to remove the dead animals. The dark stuff on the beach itself is kelp washed on shore by a storm the week before.
All photos Guido Zsilavecz
Cape Town's informal network quickly sprang into action when the pod of about 55 beached whales was seen, and within a short time the number of volunteers and onlookers increased rapidly. While the whales initially were grouped together, the attempts to return the whales to the sea caused them to spread out, as invariably the whales would turn around and head for the beach again. Rough surf did not help either, pushing the whales back to the beach. Some died naturally, most were shot when it became clear the efforts were proving to be in vain. Some skirmishes ensued when volunteers were blocked by the police which created barriers while the whales were shot, complaining that they should rather assist in helping the whales.
The dedication of the volunteers was clear - they braved the cold, rough sea and a biting wind to keep the whales wet, and time and again pushed the heavy animals out to sea, only to see them turn back to the beach. Their frustration of not getting help from the authorities was understandable, and situations like these become moral dilemmas.
Should one continue unabated, or should one eventually call the attempt a failure and quickly kill the whales? The reality is that there are relatively few success stories of the whales returning to sea. Why whales beach themselves, and false killer whales together with pilot whales seem to be susceptible to stranding, is not quite known. Some theories talk about a change in the earth's magentic field which causes their navigation to go haywire, or disease which disorients them. Pilot whales also have strong social bonds and are not likely to desert the rest of the pod. Beachings of false killer whales have happened before - in one instance around 800 beached themselves, while in South Africa another pod beached itself at St. Helena in 1981.
Once beached the whales are in dire trouble. Their own body weight crushes them, while any sunlight quickly affects their skin which is not used to it. The many volunteers onlookers touching and handling them causes additional stress, and allowing water to enter the blow hole by well-meaning volunteers who threw water over them, did not help. There simply comes a time where a quick death by bullet is much more desirable than any futher attempt at saving them - as such further attempts only serve to satisfy the volunteer (even if only sub-consciously), not the whale.
It was clear that there seemed to be little, if any, direct leadership on the beach. Volunteers tackled each whale with enthusiasm, without anybody telling them what to do or what not to do, while people milled about, touching, prodding, and just increasing the stress levels. Being an easily accessible beach attempts by the police to clear the on-lookers took quite some time before it became succesful. The decision to kill the animals was, according to the news, not taken lightly.
As sad as it may seem, the decision to kill the whales was the best one - with the strong surf hindering the volunteers and no boats to guide the whales further out, and the continous return to the beach by the whales themselves, their agony would only have lasted longer.
Following are guidelines as to what to do and not to do, taken from Mark Carwardine's "Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises". To this list I would add another item: establish a single, knowledgeable, controlling entity directing any action.
How to deal with a stranded animal
What to do
- Get expert help
- Keep the animal's skin moist
- Erect a shelter to provide shade
- Keep the flippers and flukes cool
- Keep onlookers at a distance
- Make as little noise as possible
- Try to keep the animal upper side up
- Stand very close to the tail or head
- Push or pull on the flippers, flukes or head
- Cover the blowhole
- Let either water or sand enter the blowhole
- Apply suntan lotion to the animal's skin
- Touch the animal more than necessary
Whales, dolphins and porpoises, M Carwardine and M Camm, 1995
Oceans of Life, AIL Payne, RJM Crawford, AP van Dalsen, 1989