ARE THE CETACEANS REALLY HAVING A WHALE OF A TIME?

That was the theme of the talk given by the senior research manager at the Mammal Research Institute of the University of Pretoria to a capacity crowd at West Coast Fossil Park (both allied to Iziko Museum) on 3 June.

Based in Cape Town (there are no whales and dolphins in Gauteng, guys!), Meredith Thornton dropped everything to keep that appointment as well as the mass strandings workshop that she led the next day. No need to go into the incident that took place at Kommetjie on Saturday May 30th for you to understand that I do mean dropped, such is her dedication to the task at hand and her love for these mammals of the sea.

The workshop had been six months in the planning and its ultimate timing with Saturday’s mass stranding is an unfortunate coincidence, but one where everyone learned a bit more about how to deal with events of this nature, especially in St Helena Bay where Doctor Reef is a notorious ‘hotspot’ for mass strandings.

Oceana (St Helena Bay) hosted the workshop – thank you to site manager Titania Stefanus Zincke - which was attended by some 40-plus delegates representing MCM, SAPS, NSRI, MCS (marine compliance) and the private sector.

In addition to the theoretical side Meredith led the group down to the beach where she put us through a practical simulated exercise using blow-up dolphins. There were crowd controllers (Sgt. van Rooy from MCS Saldanha Harbour and Wally Cockrell from MCM Lambert's Bay) who unceremoniously (but in good fun) tumbled harasser Darryl Hess onto the other side of the cordon while the inevitable heckler shouted, “You don’t know what you’re doing”; and, aided by the Water Wings unit and MCS, NSRI officials carried out their role in trying to cope with well-meaning but ignorant onlookers.

In talking to Meredith, whose stay I had the privilege of hosting at Dolphin B&B+S/C, what has hit home to me personally is the love that she and her co-workers have for the creatures that they study and the pain they will have felt at having to reach the decision that they did. Does anyone stop to think about that? I have me doots.

So, to all - from Nan Rice of DAPG, who so calmly and efficiently handled the call for assistance, to Mike Meyer et al - a round of applause for a terrible job well handled. And, Meredith, the training you gave us will hold us in good stead in the event of yet another mass stranding at Doctor Reef in St Helena Bay. May it never happen.

THOUGHT I WAS IN HEAVEN

I’ve been quiet. Has anyone missed me? Don’t all shout at once!

For my annual leave this year I travelled Route 62 stopping off in all those delightful towns verging on the Little Karoo: you know, Barrydale, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn and then over the Swartberg Pass into Die Hel (aka Gamkaskloof). Described as one of the five most spectacular passes in the world, I don’t quite know what that means because I was far too busy keeping my eyes on the steering wheel and off the sheer drop to my right. Then three days and nights of stillness, broken only by the haa-haa laugh of dassies, with plentsch birding, book-reading and generally doing bugger all.

Here’s Moi with Pieter Joubert (whose Mom, Annatjie, nee Mostert, was born in the ‘Kloof but who now lives in Mossel Bay leaving him to run things, which involves telling 14 000 visitors a year about his corner of heaven (they misnamed the place) and stirring up great meals for the visitors).

Prince Albert on the hinterland side of the escarpment is a quaint town where I re-connected with Elaine Hurford who had so much to do with putting it on the tourist map 15 years ago. I also birded with locals Dawid and Jean Rossouw and Japie and Ralie Claassen and colleagues from Beaufort West. And, hey, guys, Japie’s The Man when it comes to endemic Karoo species; he runs Karoo Birding Safaris (claassen@cybertrade.co.za) I can’t promise you a sighting (like we had) of a Narina Trogan (I kid you not), but you’ll sure see many other exciting avifauna under his guidance.

I also spent two hours of true quality time in the company of Sue Milton-Dean, doctor of botany who now with her husband, Richard Dean, one of the three editors of the new Robert’s tome (yes, I did get his signature), have stepped out of academia to run Renu-Karoo which is about rehabilitating the veld damaged, mainly by ostriches.

Next Sutherland and SALT and, yes, it was perishing at night, reaching 0°C. The days, however, were delightfully temperate.

But, know what? I might well have been to Hell, but coming home again after three weeks was pure Heaven. Now to plan my next journey around this glorious country of ours. Where to from here?