Dolphins in the harbour
It is always special when we hear we have dolphins or whales in our harbour. I have joined a Dolphin and Whale Watch group and have just seen there is a pod of dolphins swimming near our local beach. I noticed a post earlier this morning saying they had been spotted on the other side of the harbour and wondered if they would come our way.
Normally, I would be rushing down to the beach to see these and usually I would be having my morning walk about now, but I am feeling tired and with friends coming for lunch, decided I have more important things to do. I hope I don’t regret this decision later.
A few years ago, about 15 dolphins stranded on our beach, part of a pod of about 30 or 40. I was alerted to their presence by one of my former clients who told me she could see lots of them swimming nearby. Stephen and I rushed down to the beach just in time to help the stranded mammals back to safety. These were a breed of smaller dolphins which it was suspected had been chased by a group of the larger ones. It was a special encounter and not long before many people joined us in our quest. One thing I discovered helping these creatures back to the sea was that they needed depth in order to swim. Their tails naturally flapped up and down and until they were at a certain depth, they were powerless to maneuver themselves. I have wondered since, whether people helping stranded whales are aware of this fact as they would be the same.
I had many clients that day so had to return home although I did spend another hour afterwards, stopping the dolphins from reentering the shallows. The pod stayed around our beach for most of the day and kept trying to come ashore. Hundreds of people gathered throughout the day, including a team from the Department of Conservation and all worked to prevent any re-stranding. It was a great example of community spirit. I did manage to come back down during my lunch break but by this time protocols and regulations had taken over. The story made the news but there was no mention that there had already been strandings, rather that the people had gathered to prevent this happening.
Five days ago, it was reported that one of the sewerage lines had come adrift and raw sewage had ended up in the sea at our local beach. No swimming signs were erected and Facebook posts were put up to keep people out of the area. We were given the all-clear to swim again yesterday, as the testing nearer to shore showed e-coli levels had dropped but I wonder whether any of that spill is posing a threat to these beautiful creatures further off shore. I guess in the scale of harbours around the world our one would be one of the better and more pure ones, but all the same, it is a shame such a thing happened.
After reading Satish Kumar’s last chapter yesterday, it really brought the awareness back to me of man’s arrogance to our surroundings. We are not the only species this earth was intended for, even though many people act as if we are. As he stated, habitats are being lost at an alarming rate across the planet. Like wanting peace in the world, making our environment more sustainable, starts with ourselves and our own practices. I know there are things I could do to improve the situation. I must make more of an effort.