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Beached baby porpoise rescued from tidal pool on Vancouver Island

Porpoise calf found thrashing in sand and rocks in Nanoose Bay

Members of the public and marine mammal response staff came to the rescue of a stranded porpoise on Vancouver Island this week.

Paul Cottrell, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada marine mammal response coordinator, said he and another specialist on scene, with assistance from beach-goers at Pacific Shores Resort and Spa in Nanoose Bay, were able to help the porpoise and guide it back into deep waters Sunday, Aug. 14.

Cottrell estimated the calf was less than a month old, and said it was sa国际传媒渢hrashingsa国际传媒 in a tidal pool. Those who called the DFO for assistance did the right thing, he said.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 all about quick response with these young animals and cetaceans when they end up on land,sa国际传媒 said Cottrell. sa国际传媒淕ravity is really difficult. Their blood pools and they get disoriented, so it was important to get that animal back in the water and see if it could reorient itself.sa国际传媒

He said porpoises travel in smaller groups, usually consisting of mother and calf, and it appears the porpoise became separated.

sa国际传媒淭hey were able to then take it out into deeper water and take some time with it to see if it could equilibrate and get its bearings back,sa国际传媒 said Cottrell. sa国际传媒淚t took a long time sa国际传媒 they ended up taking it out into deep water and giving it the best chance in releasing the animal. Wesa国际传媒檙e hoping the animal met up with mom, wesa国际传媒檙e optimistic, but itsa国际传媒檚 a difficult one at that age to reunite.sa国际传媒

Nathalie Marie, who lives close by, said she spotted the calf and it appeared to be injured.

sa国际传媒淭here was a bit of fishing line around the snout, so we took that out and then it had a few lacerations on the body, but there was no bleeding or anything. It was caused by the rocks,sa国际传媒 she said.

Cottrell said the injuries were superficial, but the porpoise still needed to get into deeper waters.

sa国际传媒淭hey actually had a paddleboard they were able to use to get the animal out into deep waters, so it was less likely to re-strand and [was able to] get its bearingssa国际传媒a国际传媒 he said. sa国际传媒淚t swam and then, of course, it moved on and it was getting late for the folks. Wesa国际传媒檙e hoping for the best.sa国际传媒

Itsa国际传媒檚 difficult to determine why the porpoise stranded itself, according to Cottrell. It could have been avoiding killer whales because of sa国际传媒減otential predationsa国际传媒 or it could have been foraging for food in shallow water, he said.

Marie said it was a memorable moment.

sa国际传媒淚t was the most beautiful, little, soft creature Isa国际传媒檝e ever touched,sa国际传媒 said Marie. sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檒l never forget.sa国际传媒

If people encounter stranded porpoises, dolphins, whales, otters and similar sea life, they are asked to call the DFOsa国际传媒檚 hotline, 1-800-465-4336, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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Karl Yu

About the Author: Karl Yu

I joined Black Press in 2010 and cover education, court and RDN. I am a Ma Murray and CCNA award winner.
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