Divers dedicated to marine mammal rescue

BDMLR has been involved in the rescue of whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals since the early 1990s and has led the way in forwarding the techniques of marine mammal rescue.Most BDMLR rescues are undertake in conjunction with agencies such as the Fire & Rescue Service, Police, Coastguard, RNLI, Army and local councils and ranger services.

BDMLR led the rescue attempt of the Northern Bottlenose Whale in the River Thames back in January 2006. Whilst this rescue was going on a second rescue was taking place at Maryport in Cumbria where a Bottlenose Dolphin had become trapped in a marina. This dolphin was successfully caught and craned out of the harbour and released out at sea.

Volunteers from BDMLR also led the successful rescue of several common dolphins at Falmouth earlier this year when over 70 common dolphins were frightened into shallow water causing many to strand. Several died as a result but many were prevented from stranding and other refloated and released with the help of BDMLR medics.

BDMLR runs a marine mammal medic course and is already involved in training members of the emergency services as well as other voluntary groups and charities across the country.

‘There are a lot of misconceptions about stranded marine life and it is easy to make mistakes and cause unnecessary suffering to these amazing animals if you don’t know what to do and how to assess them’, said BDMLR national coordinator Trevor Weeks at the show.

‘We are urging as many agencies as possible who are involved in animal welfare or rescue or involved with the coastline to look at getting involved with BDMLR and look at training their staff and volunteers so that they know what to do when these events happen. Many people do not realise just how many whales, dolphins and porpoises we get all round the UK coastline from Dover to Wick and Penzance to Stornoway. We have everything from large 20m long Sperm Whales to small 1m long harbour porpoises. We get over 70 reports each year of them being stranded. Many strand due to illness others due to navigational error, but without the right knowledge these incidents can cause unnecessary suffering to these animals.’

Marine Mammal Medic Courses are run all round the UK but can be organised specifically for groups and agencies which have a minimum of 10 or 20 people interested depending on their location. Individuals can also book online to public courses on the charity’s website at www.bdmlr.org.uk.