4 minute read
ENTANGLED SEAL FREED
After receiving calls about a seal with rope around its neck, Station 17 (Hermanus) decided to investigate. After repeated attempts to disentangle the animal proved futile, the crew had a lightbulb moment. Cherelle Leong tells the story
AT THE NSRI WE ARE CALLED to save lives on South African waters, and sometimes the lives are those of marine animals. It might be a seal with rope wrapped around its neck, a turtle entangled in a discarded net, a beached dolphin or a whale in distress in the open ocean… These are disturbing situations and they’re becoming increasingly common. It is estimated that there are more than 180 000 000 tonnes of plastic in the world’s oceans, of which only 1% floats on the surface. The sea mammals, reptiles and birds found entangled are just one aspect of a much bigger environmental problem, and a harsh reminder that we all need to be invested in helping to clean up the planet. It’s rewarding when we can help reverse some of the damage, even if it’s just one rescue at a time.
Station 17 (Hermanus) had been receiving reports from various members of the public for about three weeks of a seal with rope wrapped around its neck. Each time they’d dispatch crew to the scene, but they’d be unable to get anywhere close to it. The seal was understandably wary of humans approaching it, and whenever the NSRI volunteers came near it, it dived into the sea and swam away. It was an adolescent seal with several strands of rope wound around its neck. If the rope was not removed, there was a good chance that, as the seal grew to full adult size, the rope would become increasingly tight around its neck, possibly even cutting into the skin and restricting the seal’s breathing. With this in mind, the Hermanus crew knew they had to make every effort to try to cut that rope and free the animal.
As they had already discovered, getting close to the seal was very difficult. It became a game of cat and mouse as the crew experimented with various tactics to approach the seal without alarming it. The seal had proved to be far too alert and the crew couldn’t come near it. After every failed attempt, they would discuss what they could do differently. Trying to corner or catch the seal was out of the question, so they needed to be able to cut the rope from a distance. It was decided that the cutting knife from the whale disentanglement kit might just be the right tool for the job. This instrument is a curved V-shaped knife with a sharp serrated blade on the inside and rounded edges on the outside, to prevent injuries to whales during disentanglements. Most significant in this case, the knife is attached to a long pole that makes it possible to cut through rope effectively from quite a distance.
This time when the call came in that the entangled seal had been spotted on the dolosse at the New Harbour, the crew were ready to respond with the whale disentanglement equipment. Based on previous experience, they knew that if the seal spotted them, it would disappear again. With one person keeping a lookout from a distance and monitoring the seal’s movements, the other crew members carefully snuck up behind the seal, cutting knife at hand. They didn’t have to get too close – just close enough to slip the blunt end of the knife under the rope. They knew they’d only have one chance. They had to be quick and they had to be accurate. Cautiously and with steady hands, they moved in and in a split second had the knife under the rope. The minute the seal felt that touch, it dived away. But the rope had caught on the knife and the motion created enough tension to cut through it. The seal disappeared into the surf, leaving the sliced rope behind, and was free at last.
▶ For more on what to do if you encounter a marine animal, bird or reptile in distress, please see nsri.org.za/2020/11/what-todo-if-you-find-a-marine-animal-in-distress/
