This article is from page 19 of the 2006-05-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
THE Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Co-ordinator, Dr Simon Berrow was full of praise for all who helped with the rescue of a stranded whale at Inch beach, when he returned home to Kilrush.
Describing the rescue as a model refloating operation, he said it was “a collective success for everyone involved.”
The three tonne pilot whale was discovered stranded but alive on inch strand, Kerry at 8.30 on Saturday mooring.
Across the estuary in Clare Dr Berrow was listening to Mooney Goes Wild when he got the call.
Crossing from West Clare to Kerry aboard the ferry Simon brought with him the full specialised IWDG “live stranding kit” which included an inflatable whale pontoon.
Kevin Flannery of the Department of the Marine, and Director of Mara Beo, was on the beach and had the situation under control when the Clare based whale and dolphin expert arrived.
“Local NPWS Conservation ranger Paschal Dower and Kevin Flannery had, together with a large number of willing helpers, dug a pool and put blankets and towels over the whale to keep it cool and were pouring water over it,” said an impressed Dr Berrow.
“The water was being ferried up from the distant sea in a bulk carrier on the back of a trailer. Despite the large number of people, estimated to be over 200, the atmosphere was calm but busy.
“Pilot whales usually occur offshore and are good candidates for refloating if stranded on a gently sloping sandy beach such as those found in Dingle bay.
“Thus this whale was deemed suitable to attempt to refloat,” he told The Clare People .
The collective group decided that rather than wait hours for the tide to reach the whale they would attempt to move it down the beach and into the sea.
“We rolled the tarpulin from the pontoon under the whale and secured it around the whale’s tailstock like a sling,” Simon Berrow said.
“We put another sling the under tarpulin under the whale’s head to keep it up. A rope was secured onto the front of the tarpulin and secured to the tow bar of a landrover. Together with around 20 people we managed to slowly pull the tarpulin with the whale on it, down the beach.”
“It worked remarkably well,” said Simon Berrow, “within two slow but controlled pulls we had the whale in the incoming tide”.
The pontoons were then attached and filled with compressed air and the whale slowly pulled into the water.