NSRI saves beached baby whale

[Niel]

A RARE baby pygmy sperm whale was rescued after washing ashore at Stilbaai in the Southern Cape, but not without considerable effort from the National Sea Rescue Institute and Cape Nature.

NSRI spokesman Craig Lambinon said yesterday they were called to the scene late on Monday afternoon by Cape Nature, which had been alerted by a visitor to the area, Dan Badenhorst.

Cape Nature official Jean du Plessis and Badenhorst encouraged the baby into the surf, but a sandbank prevented it from reaching deeper waters.

NSRI rescue swimmers “Spyker” Germishuys and Rico Menezies, commander of the local rescue station, then tried to swim with the baby to deeper water but the tide washed it back to shore.

Reinforcements were eventually called to help load the baby whale onto the NSRI‘s rescue craft. It was then taken to deeper water and released.

Once released, the baby, which appeared to be strong and healthy, swam away.

“This incident proves that the NSRI doesn‘t just save human lives,” said Menezies.

The pygmy sperm whale, which frequents the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, is rarely seen.

Most data on them is gained from beached whales, making it difficult to peg down their migratory patterns or even the numbers that survive in the ocean.

The pygmy is one of the smallest whale species and does not grow much bigger than a dolphin.

They are usually 1,2 metres long at birth, and grow to 3,5m, weighing 400kg as adults.

They are known as shy, solitary mammals, although some pods of up to six pygmy sperm whales have been spotted in the past.

[2.8 d/cab SFA]

:) interesting, tx