June• 2019 | 13MY STORYJonah team came to Golden Bay in
2016 to train a group of 23 volunteers.
It was a memorable, enjoyable and
fun-packed weekend workshop
that involved a mix of theory and
hands-on experience in the water
with life-sized rubber dolphins
and pilot whales. For some reason,
pilot whales become stranded more
frequently than other whales at
Farewell Spit, a narrow sandspit at
the northern end of the bay.
At the end of the course, we each
received a lanyard identifying
our position as volunteer marine
mammal medics. However, training
is one thing – reality is another.
When the second largest
stranding occurred in February
2017, I was called to help. It was,
predictably, on Farewell Spit where
strandings are thought to be caused
by the shallow water.
I was excited but a little nervous
as I located my ‘grab-bag’ full of
essentials, plus some towels and
buckets to keep the stranded whales
cool and hydrated with seawater. A
few others from the course met me
there – similarly wide-eyed with
anticipation and mild anxiety.
I was warned that this was a
big stranding but I was totally
unprepared for what greeted me.
It was a shocking and emotionally
gut-wrenching sight. Hundreds
of dead whales were lying across
the 300-metre long stretch of sand.
Some were bunched together, while
others lay in isolation. They were all
frying in the 27 degree sun because
of the oil in their blubber. It was
equally sobering to see the massive
salvage effort ahead of us. Here
were hundreds of whales totally
dependent on the assistance of
humans for their survival.
I had a sizeable kit of essential
medical aids, which the course
instructors had recommended we
prepare in anticipation of the next
inevitable stranding. In it, were
energ y-rich snacks, sunscreen,
bottled water, warm clothes, rubber
gloves – as whale skin is very
sensitive and easily damaged by
abrasive rubbing – plus a wetsuit
to make the long, energ y-sapping
periods in the cold, salty water
bearable.
I will never be able to shake the
memory of standing in waist-high
water as the tide was turning.
After three hours, we were ready
to re-float the live whales. Our job
up to that point was focused on
keeping them hydrated, digging
sand from around their fins to
relieve pressure, and keeping as
quiet and calm as possible so not
to cause them further stress. I was
standing shoulder to shoulder with