3
www.thevillagenews.co.za
3 February 2021
Pilot whale stranding T
he Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) received a report on 28 January of a whale stranding near Pearly Beach. Dickie Chivell and Ralph Watson were sent out to investigate and arriving on-site it became clear this was no ordinary stranding. The whale was a longfinned Pilot whale (Globicephala melas) and it is not often seen on South Africa’s beaches.
head, which is known as a melon. This assists with echolocation and communication and is thus an important part of hunting for them. They will often dive to a depth of 200 – 600 metres to hunt fish, squid, and shrimp.
Pilot whales are known to occur far out to sea where the waters are deeper, especially in colder, almost polar waters. They are a highly social species and are usually found in social units of 10 to 20 individuals but can even be seen in the hundreds. They get their name from their behaviour of following their leader, or “pilot” when travelling far distances.
DICT is part of a wide-ranging stranding network and quickly informed their collaborators at the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and the Mammal Research Institute’s Whale Unit in Hermanus. The next day DEFF and the MRI-WU sent out teams to perform an on-site necropsy, with the help of the Overstrand Municipality and marine biologists from Marine Dynamics and DICT. The purpose of the necropsy is to collect measurements, samples and hopefully find out the cause of death.
Pilot whales have a very distinct bulbous mass on the front of their
The Pilot whale was a male, measuring over 5.5 metres long, with
no distinct markings on the outside that revealed any possible cause of death. The team from DEFF recovered important samples (skin, blubber, organs) and the whole skeleton. An X-ray of the head could potentially reveal damages to the auditory system of the animal, which might have caused it to strand, but at the time of writing the cause was not evident. Marine mammals are protected in South Africa under the Living Resources Act, and standings such as these provide scientists with vital information on their health, life-history, and ecology. - Ralph Watson, Marine Biologist, Marine Dynamics / Dyer Island Conservation Trust DICT is part of the Overberg Stranding Network. Should you come across a stranded animal in the Overberg region, please contact them on 072 598 7117.
TOP RIGHT: Teams from the DEFF and the Mammal Research Institute’s Whale Unit in Hermanus sent out teams to perform an on-site necropsy, with the help of the Overstrand Municipality and marine biologists from Marine Dynamics and DICT. RIGHT: The 5.5m Pilot whale that washed up at Pearly Beach over the weekend. Pilot whales are among the largest of the oceanic dolphins, exceeded in size only by the killer whale. PHOTOS: George Podaras, Marine Dynamics / Dyer Island Conservation Trust
Fire season alert Several wildfires broke out in the Overberg over the weekend, including in Barrydale, Masakhane near Gansbaai, and the farming area at Solitaire/ Tesselaarsdal.
Nelio van Rooy
Sadly an EPWP firefighter, Nelio van Rooy, lost his life on Sunday in the Barrydale fire, which had spread rapidly into the mountain area. Overberg Fire Chief Reinard Geldenhuys expressed his condolences and said Van Rooy had died in the line of duty while serving his community. The Barrydale fire had been raging for a week but the Greater Overberg FPA announced on Monday that cooler weather and intermittent rain during the night and most of the day had halted the spread of the fire. Active mopping up and monitoring continued on Monday, with a spotter plane waiting for the cloud cover over the mountain to lift in order to confirm that there was no longer any active fire on the top of the mountain.
PHOTO: Johann Kruger
In the Masakhane mountain fire, one vehicle and a pump were destroyed and three firefighters were injured and had to be transported to the Hermanus Mediclinic. Aerial support was needed
to contain the fire, and by late Sunday afternoon the two helicopters had to rush off to attend to another mountain fire near Caledon. On Monday Overstrand Fire Chief Lester Smith confirmed that the fire had been contained and said two of the injured firefighters had been discharged, while the third remained in hospital. He was being treated for second degree burns to his hand and arms. Also on Sunday, what started as a “werf” fire in Solitaire quickly spread, fanned by a strong pre-frontal wind. A massive effort by Overberg Fire Services, supported by landowners and HARSA members, was required to contain the fire and protect the farmsteads and livestock in the area. One firefighter was injured, and a farm vehicle, feed and fencing were destroyed in the fire, which was contained by late afternoon when it started to rain. Residents are reminded that we are in the middle of the fire season and that the fire danger index for the area remains high. Please report any signs of fire to Overstrand Fire & Rescue on 028 312 2400, or Overberg Fire & Rescue on 028 425 1690. – Hedda Mittner
