British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) is a nationwide charity dedicated to the rescue of marine mammals - seals, porpoises, dolphins and whales – around our coastline. The organisation has over 2500 volunteer ‘Marine Mammal Medics’, ready to respond to any of the 2000+ callouts the charity’s hotline receives every year. With emphasis about going to the coast for mental and physical health benefits this can unintentionally bring with it greater conflict between people and wildlife as they compete for space. Climate change also appears to be having a growing impact on our wildlife, with some species like dolphins shifting their distribution around the coast as sea temperatures change. BDMLR Medics also deal with whales, dolphins and porpoises when they are stranded alive on the beach. Like seals, they can sometimes be in poor health, but other times may simply have been caught out by fast moving tides or enclosed areas like estuaries. After expert veterinary assessment, these animals can be refloated back into the sea if deemed suitable.
coastguards as Annie. Annie stranded at Chapel St Leonards in August 2020 and medics from Tibshelf responded to the urgent call out. With heavy rain, thunder and lightening they made it to the coast as night fell. It was found that not only had Annie stranded, but she was pregnant and in labour on the beach. Medics entered the water with Annie and with coastguards holding onto the medics to try and stabilise them in the two metre waves crashing about them, Annie was given medical aid and assessed. Medics and coastguards clung to each other in the terrible weather, shielding Annie from the worst of the battering sea for more than an hour, whilst crews from RNLI Skegness battled their way through the storm. Annie was gently loaded onto the lifeboat and with medics on board she was taken out to sea where the water was much calmer, here she was re-assessed before being lowered gently over the side. Both Annie and her baby survived.
Marine Mammal Medics and rescue equipment are also based near Alfreton. In 2018 it was found that Midlands medics formed the link between East and West coast rehab centres and medics often relay seal pups through Derbyshire. Almost thirty seal pups had travelled through the area this year alone, for vital treatment and rehab before being released. Midlands medics also respond to rescues on the coastlines, this included seven Sperm Whales which stranded Christmas Eve 2020, a four metre Basking Shark and two Porpoises. One of the porpoises was named by the
If you are interested in joining our team then please check out our website on www.bdmlr.org.uk for more information. To advertise please call 01773 549 035
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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
INTRODUCING BRITISH DIVERS MARINE LIFE RESCUE
