Media release from Department of Conservation, Kaitaia
Date: 10th October 2011
Attempts to rescue stranded sperm whale fail
Despite a six hour rescue attempt, Department of Conservation staff were unable to refloat a sperm whale grounded on a Far North beach.
The 12 metre marine mammal grounded itself approximately 20-30 metres off-shore from Coopers Beach (a popular holiday destination in Doubtless Bay, 50 kilometres south of Kaitaia) sometime this morning. According to DOC Incident Controller, Jonathan Maxwell, DOC staff, aided by members of the local community, battled choppy sea conditions and 20 knot on-shore winds to prevent the whale from coming ashore. “We had a DOC boat and the Far North Coastguard boat in the water and attempted to move the whale out of the shallow water using ropes and nets. Unfortunately a spring tide and wave conditions had moved the whale too far up the beach for us to be able to free it,” Mr Maxwell added.
With darkness approaching the call was made to abandon the rescue attempt. Mr Maxwell says a team of DOC staff and volunteers from the local community had spent several hours in the water with the whale, orientating it before the recue attempt was made. “The local community was fantastic; donating ropes and nets and helping where they could. Of course you always get a few spectators that can hamper a rescue by ignoring health and safety instructions from staff or getting too close to the operation. We understand that people are interested in what’s happening. We just ask that they keep a safe distance and follow the briefings of our staff,” he says.
Mr Maxwell stressed the potential danger of getting too close to a marine mammal of that size. “A flick of a tale or the animal rolling on someone can be fatal with a whale of that magnitude. They can weigh several tonnes, so it’s like dealing with a freighter. Generally people are great and want to help as much as possible. I think they appreciate what we’re trying to do to help the whale.”
According to reports it appears that the whale has been in and around the Bay for the past two weeks; leading DOC to suspect that it may have health problems. “It’s unusual for a sperm whale to hang around a bay for that long,” says Mr Maxwell. “Even during the rescue, the whale appeared to be quite lethargic.” A team of DOC staff will keep a watch on the whale overnight and Mr Maxwell says that they will assess the situation again in the morning. However given the condition of the whale, a happy ending was unlikely. “Obviously we prefer to be able to successfully free stranded marine mammals. However that is not always possible and it’s important to minimise distress and suffering to the animal as much as we can.
DOC staff were alerted to the stranded whale by a member of the public at 12.30pm today. Mr Maxwell says that DOC appreciated the promptness of the caller, as they rely on the public to be their ‘eyes and ears’ when it comes to distressed and threatened wildlife. “We have a 24 hour emergency line for people to call if they come across a stranded or distressed marine mammal or other threatened native species. The number to call is 0800DOCHOT (0800362468),” says Mr Maxwell. The sooner we know, the sooner we can act,” he added.
11th October 2011 – 9.47am
Update on stranded sperm whale at Coopers Beach ·
The whale died at 10pm last night
2 DOC staff were on duty overnight keeping an eye on the whale.
Low tide is at 2.30pm this afternoon when the whale will be moved to a suitable location for burial. · A 20 tonne digger and truck are on-site.
DOC and local iwi (Ngati Kahu) are discussing the next steps regarding recovery of materials from the whale (ie jaw, bones) for cultural purposes and appropriate protocols surrounding disposal/burial of the mammal. · Whales are considered a taonga (treasure ) to iwi and have high cultural value. Background.
DOC in Kaitaia was informed by a member of public at 12.30pm that a sperm whale was grounded at Coopers Beach in the Far North · DOC staff responded and assessed that the whale was grounded in shallow waters approx 20 metres off-shore. · The mammal is a 12 metre long sperm whale.
Far North coast guard and a DOC boat were in the water, working with volunteers using nets to try to stop the whale coming closer to shore. · DOC staff and local volunteers were in the water with the whale helping to orientate it in the direction of open sea · Attempts were made to free the whale by towing it out to deeper water using the boats and nets · The rescue was called off just after 7pm last night with approaching darkness.
Reports indicate the whale had been in the Bay for at least 2 weeks leading DOC staff to suspect it was not in good health.
DOC is grateful for the assistance we received from the local community and appreciate their help in providing equipment and support.
For more information please contact:
Carolyn Smith
Programme Manager Community Relations
Kaiwhakahaere Hapori-hononga
Department of Conservation—Te Papa Atawhai
DDI: +64 9 408 6190
M: +64 21 241 2273
Kaitaia Area Office 25 Matthews Ave
PO Box 569 Kaitaia 0441
Conservation for prosperity
Tiakina te taiao, kia puawai
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