Agencies stage a mock manatee rescue in the Intracoastal Waterway near Boynton Beach.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Cheryl Blackerby
Sick sea mammals that land on Florida’s beaches are a sad fact of coastal living. Florida is the No. 1 state for marine animal strandings.
Sympathetic humans want to help, but they often cause more stress to already stressed-out animals:
• They crowd around a beached dolphin, posing for selfies.
• While pouring water on dolphins and whales to cool them, they pour water into their blow holes.
• They stroke and talk to them, which frightens a wild animal.
• Many people touch the animal, which greatly increases the chance of transmitting diseases to the sick marine mammal (and also increases the chances of the animal giving people — especially children and persons with compromised immune systems — diseases, bacteria and fungi).
• They push the animal back to sea because it looks OK; but if a marine animal is on the beach, it’s sick or injured.
These were some of the points made during a Marine Mammal Rescue Workshop Aug. 20 at the Intracoastal Club House in Boynton Beach. About 100 law enforcement officers, first responders and Marine Animal Rescue Society volunteers attended.
Speakers included scientists from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University.
There are only three things you should do when you see a stranded marine animal on the beach, said the experts: Call for help (888-404-FWCC or local law enforcement), keep the animal upright and stay quiet.
And if you’re really serious about helping, prepare for a long stay; it may take five or six hours for a rescue crew to get there, so organize shifts to stay with the animal.
Most importantly, listen to law enforcement who will arrive on the scene and set up perimeters. In mass strandings, the situation can quickly get out of control when crowds gather.
Other things to remember when you see a stranded whale, dolphin or manatee, said Pamela Sweeney, Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves Manager: Tell the dispatcher at the wildlife hotline as much information as you can, including the estimated length of the animal, the precise location (including GPS coordinates), and any human interaction such as propeller injuries and nets binding the animal.
Take photos to send to the dispatcher and include the name and phone number of the person who took the photos. Look for scientific tags and record the number on the tag.
Dead animals should not be disposed of. Officials will want to perform necropsies to determine the cause of death.
“When a marine mammal is on the beach, we need all hands on deck,” said Steve Burton, stranding coordinator and marine mammal specialist at Harbor Branch. “You need to stay calm and quiet. Help is on the way.”
Burton showed photos of 22 pilot whales that stranded at Avalon Beach near Fort Pierce on Sept. 1, 2012. The whales needed constant care by volunteers under the direction of rescue supervisors from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Florida Fish and Wildlife and Harbor Branch. Local law enforcement and lifeguards helped manage the situation.
A complicated scene with many bystanders quickly became organized with tents providing shade for animals and volunteers, and water and food for volunteers until transportation could arrive for the animals to be moved to wildlife hospitals.
Topics at the workshop included mass-stranding event coordination, rehabilitation protocols, necropsy techniques, and in-water training and exercises. On-the-water mock manatee rescue and rehabilitation and rescue techniques with dolphins and whales were demonstrated.
The workshop was presented by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection/Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves along with the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, MARS and FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
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