‘Miracle’ rescue at the Bay
The successful refloating of a sperm whale stranded in Caroline Bay is being hailed a miracle.
Department of Conservation operations manager Duncan Toogood said it was ‘‘very uncommon’’ for a whale that size to come ashore to a place such as Caroline Bay, and even more uncommon for it to be refloated.
‘‘We may have pulled off a miracle here.’’
In praising the efforts of the rescue team, Toogood said that ‘‘emotions were running high’’ throughout nine-hour operation that ended about 8pm on Sunday when the whale was refloated.
They were still unsure why the whale came to shore in the first place, he said.
‘‘It was last seen by the coastguard. It was swimming okay and breathing okay, and doing its normal whale thing.’’
Toogood said they did not attempt to put a tracking device on the whale because it was too difficult to achieve when considering the depths they dive too.
The biggest challenge during the rescue operation, according to Toogood, had been crowd control after hundreds of locals turned up to watch.
‘‘As a worksite [to access], Caroline Bay was surprisingly easy to navigate.’’
A DOC spokesperson said the threat classification for the New Zealand population of sperm whales was ‘‘data deficient’’ as ‘‘we don’t have enough information about the abundance and trends of sperm whales in New
Zealand waters to assess them’’.
Sperm whales are listed as endangered worldwide and protected under the world whaling moratorium and are probably the easiest whale to recognise because of their huge forehead. They can weigh between 30-40 tonnes and reach 12-14 metres in length.
When asked to comment on social media suggestions that the stranding may have been caused by a 3.1 magnitude earthquake centred just off Timaru at the same time, Toogood simply added he had ‘‘no idea’’.
Project Jonah Timaru volunteer Donna McPherson said it had been an amazing effort.
‘‘It was such a huge task . . . ‘‘The chance of seeing a whale this size at Caroline Bay is rare, even rarer is the chance of saving it when it is beached.’’
Project Jonah general manager Daren Grover said the rescue mission meant the whale stood a good chance of surviving.
‘‘If you see a beached or injured marine mammal, don’t try to rescue it. Instead, call project Jonah or DOC,’’ Grover said.
‘‘There are very specific and special procedures we have in these instances.’’
Coastguard South Canterbury president Nigel Adams said his team arrived on the scene about 11am on Sunday, and stayed until about 8pm, after they had helped escort the whale out to sea.
Adams said it was the first time he had been involved in such a mission.
‘‘At the end of the day it was quite a positive experience.’’
The joint rescue mission involved DOC staff, Project Jonah, PrimePort Timaru and about 30 volunteers who worked throughout the day to get the whale into deeper water where it could swim under its own steam.