Midnight whale calf rescue
Anglers at the Flat Rocks section reported a newly born Humpback whale calf washed up on the beach
BEST known for their efforts to prevent gill net plundering, members of the North Coast Anti Poaching (NCAP) group ceased their late Friday night patrol and reacted quickly to an emergency of a different kind.
Anglers at the Flat Rocks section north of RBM, who had to drive some distance to get cell phone reception, had reported a newly born Humpback whale calf washed up on the beach.
‘We quickly sprang into action,’ said Simon Bosman, who together with fellow NCAP patrol members George Shacks, Gawie Stoltz and Chucky van der Merwe met up with local angler Kobus de Kock and his men and proceeded to the location of the calf.
‘On arrival, the calf was at the high water mark, still a bit wet from the incoming tide.
‘Buckets were used to keep wetting the calf – whose umbilical cord was still attached – while a rescue plan was developed.
‘After about a two hours of great teamwork, timing the waves, getting knocked over in the surf and battling the cold and windy conditions, it all paid off when ‘’Willy’’ started swimming again strongly into the darkness of the rough sea.
‘We monitored the area for a further hour to make sure it did not beach again,’ said Simon.
While the ultimate fate of the creature is not known, Simon did have contact with Jennifer Olbers, KZN Marine Stranding Network Coordinator, who indicated that unless the calf became reunited with its mother, its chances of survival were slim.
Good news is that once again a great number of whales are being sighted off the Zululand coast as the annual migration takes place.
‘We were out deep sea fishing two weekends ago and met up with five different pods, which included a number of calves,’ said Simon.
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