MUST-READ: Durban lifeguard lauded for show of kindness towards dying dolphin

A CARING Brighton Beach lifeguard showed kindness in helping an injured beached adult male pantropical spotted dolphin on Brighton Beach, according to two Bluff surfers who rushed to the aide of the distressed mammal on Sunday, 10 June.

The surfers, Duncan and Casey Pratt were alerted by a neighbour when they made their way to the beach and towards the location, about 500m south of Brighton Beach. “When we arrived, lifeguard Herbert Green was already with the dolphin. He was calmly moving it through the shallows, while keeping the blowhole clear of the water which is apparently the correct thing to do. The dolphin was fairly calm at that stage,” said Duncan.
Brenda contacted Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and relayed details about the dolphin’s injuries. “The bottom jaw was broken about 5cm from the end and it had multiple scratches on its body. This did not give the person taking the call, Jen, any confidence that the dolphin would survive considering the extent of its injuries,” he added.

READ: Dolphin dies on Cuttings Beach
Ezemvelo staff asked them to remove the dolphin from the water. Returning to Herbert who was still taking care of the dolphin, they removed the injured mammal using towels and laid it on the sand, “We kept the skin wet but didn’t cover the eyes which is apparently what should be done. After five minutes, the animal became stressed and started to beat its tail and head, after which it spasmed and succumbed from cardiac arrest. At this point the dolphin emitted a guttural noise and regurgitated small white pellets, which we initially thought were nurdles,” added Duncan.
On closer inspection the Ezemvelo staff said these were fragments from a squid, which was probably its final meal. Initially there were three dolphins in the vicinity but two managed to swim back into deeper water. “The Ezemvelo staff confirmed a very high percentage of singular strandings are as a result of injuries sustained out at sea and very few survive. They felt this individual had been involved in an attack with other dolphins and had moved into shallow waters as a result,” he said.
Environmental activist Desmond D’Sa, who was also contacted, said the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) is awaiting the dolphin’s post mortem results, and is particularly interested in the stomach contents. “The injury to the jaw of this animal was severe. These animals process information through their hollow jaws and an injury like this is fatal to a dolphin,” said Desmond D’Sa. “We are not sure (what could have caused the fatal injury) at this stage but there is seismic drilling been done along our coastline and there are a number of boats fishing in the area.”
The Pratts thanked Herbert for his kindness and dedication to the dolphin in its dying moments. “He is an unsung hero everyone needs to know about. He cares for the ocean and wildlife, as shown by the way he cared for the injured creature. It was definitely an emotional experience and to have such a calm attitude and to know what to do in such a situation, is commendable,” added Duncan.

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