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| << September11, 2006 - Turtle Essays edition no 185 dated 11.9.2006 |
September25, 2006 - Turtle Essays edition no 187 dated 25.9.2006 >> |
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Turtle Essays Edition no 186 dated 18th September 2006 ** Do you enjoy this weekly ezine? Please tell your friends about it and send them to http://www.zinester.com/mpb/ml_fs.cgi?topic=50058 to become regular readers ** For tours in and around Cape Town please contact us at tourinfo@turtlesa.com ** Visiting Cape Town ? Prins and Prins invite you to visit their studios where you can watch their diamond cutters unlock the fire and brilliance of a rough diamond, find out how diamonds are graded and valued and browse through their display rooms, or, have a private viewing of their stunning collection of diamonds and gemstones. Visit them at Huguenot House, corner Hout & Loop Streets, Cape Town, South Africa or phone them on 021 422 1090 or Janet on 083 455 9229 if you would like to be collected from your hotel. Please tell them “Deltah “ sent you when visiting them. ** In this edition Editor's Blurb Distressed marine animals ** Editor's Blurb Hi there folks. Welcome to all my new and regular readers. This week we will look at the damage caused by humans when they throw away nets and ropes in the sea. Our whales, seals and other marine life become entangled in bits of plastic, nets and ropes and eventually die if not rescued. I hope you enjoy the article. Geoff Fairman ** Distressed marine animals It's the time of the year here in South Africa when the Southern right whales visit our shores. Big whales close inshore are a magnificent sight especially when they breach or dive and their large tail flukes protrude out of the water. Unfortunately in the past any whale attracting attention to itself would have ended up dead as the whale hunters went after it for its meat and blubber. Today the focus has changed and the whales are welcomed to our shores where they can approach the shallows and be admired by visitors who come from afar to see them. With so many whales around our coastline there is bound to be times when these large mammals clash with humans. This often happens when boats inadvertently ram a submerged whale either killing it or injuring it badly. In a recent incident the yacht Shosoloza rammed a whale in Table bay and badly damaged itself and also injured a number of the crew. After the incident the whale swam off apparently uninjured. Although there are often incidents involving boats and whales there are often more serious events which are never heard of. Whales and other marine animals often become entangled in the debris left at sea by fishermen and passing ships. Nets caught on submerged rocks or wrecks are cut loose and left to sink to the sea floor. Unfortunately these nets and ropes cause underwater obstructions where sea animals become entangled causing death or injury to the trapped animal. Some animals manage to pull themselves loose but aften end up dragging part of the net with them. When spotted the entangled animals are reported tothe Marine and Coastal Management of South Africa who together with other institutions such as the National Sea Rescue Institute send out rescuers to free them. It's a risky business freeing large animals such as whales as a touch from a tail fluke could be enough to knock a man senseless or break a bone or even kill him. Rescueing a whale is not something just anyone can do so there has to be some specialised training which enables rescuers to free entangled animals. In 2005 there was a conference sponsored by the Australian government which hosted teams from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia to discuss and exchange ideas on the best ways to rescue and free sea animals. Issues such as types and causes of entanglements, disentanglement techniques and safety were on the agenda. For the event a custom-made, life-sized whale tail with rubbery skin was made to allow the teams to practise the techniques learnt. Since returning to South Africa the skills learnt have been put to good use by the delegates to the conference. A number of whales have been rescued from certain death when they were freed from nets and ropes that entangled them. Occasionally rescue attempts fail and then decisions to put the trapped animals out of their misery have to be taken. These are not always popular with the general public. One such incident was a whale which came ashore on the False Bay coastline near Mnandi beach in April 2005. The two year old Southern right whale came too close inshore and beached itself in the shallows where children found it and played on its back. Reports of a stranded whale soon got to the ears of the marine authorities and rescue teams were despatched to the area. Attempts to refloat the whale were unsuccesful as the whale was just too heavy to move. The whale also had breathing problems caused by its weight that was just too much for its ribs to handle. After 18 hours of lying beached on the False bay shoreline in the baking hot sun it was decided that the humane thing to do would be to put the whale out of its misery. The authorities decided that the quickest and easiest way was to set an explosive charge above its brain and blow it up. When the charge was detonated the whale was killed instantly. Disposal of the carcass was a bigger headache and it was eventually loaded onto a flat bed truck and removed to the Vissershok dump where it was disposed of. Another incident occurred a few weeks ago when a 34-ton Southern Right whale washed ashore onto the rocks near the Slangkop lighthouse at Kommetjie. On inspection of the carcass the marine authorities found that the female whale had a prolapsed uterus but were not sure of the cause of death. A whale carcass on your doorstep causes a lot of interest and soon there were crowds of people visiting the site to see the remains of the whale. Of interest were the large chunks of blubber which had been cut from the carcass during the inspection . The authorities had a major problem as the carcass of the whale was lying in an area which was difficult to reach without destroying the sensitive vegetation nearby. After much head scratching it was decided that the best method to dispose of the whale was too burn it so a large pile of wood was piled around the carcass. The whale was then soaked with petrol and set alight. It took nearly two days to burn the 34 ton carcass. The work of the marine authorities is ongoing and not only do they have responsibility for the large mammals but the smaller ones as well. They are often called out to rescue seals caught in commercial waste dumped into the sea. As the problem of dumping waste is not only a South African one but a worldwide one it is the responsibility of all of us to protect our sea animals from the debris that litters our oceans. While the numbers of whales are still increasing it is a good idea to visit the places where you can see them from the seashore and not disturb them. Cape Town has many such places so why not plan a trip to come and see them. Turtle SA tours would love to show you around. To find out more contact us at tourinfo@turtlesa.com Geoff Fairman ps You can find this letter at http://www.turtlesa.com/ezine186.html ** For my personal details, contact address,warnings and details pertaining to products and tours advertised in this ezine please read the disclaimers which can be found at: http://www.turtlesa.com/Disclaimer.html ** |
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| << September11, 2006 - Turtle Essays edition no 185 dated 11.9.2006 |
September25, 2006 - Turtle Essays edition no 187 dated 25.9.2006 >> |
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