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Sherry's Diary

Rescuing the Dolphins

 

Sherry Grant helping to rescue of two dolphins that

became trapped in the lagoon created by the tsunami

 

Sherry Grant

Phuket, Thailand

4 January 2005

 

Arrived to Kao Lak at the site where two dolphins were stranded.  I met up with Edwin Wiek of the Wildlife Friends Rescue Center, Jeff Foster and Jim Styres of the Myanmar Dolphin Project a Greek fire and rescue team.

 

Jim and a small local team got on a rubber dingy and surveyed the lake determine the best place to drop the nets.  Whilst the survey was under way we made a last minute list of immediate supplies that were necessary  to include beach towels, funnel, rubber tube, k-y jelly, baytrail, water buckets, and a 50 gallon drum and more petrol. 

 

The boat they got us had a hole in it.  But that turned out not to be our biggest problem.  A group of fishermen came with a net and boat.  The fisherman launched their boat ignoring everyone pleas to work together.  Ignoring our pleas, they launched the boat and they started to set the net.

 

Minutes later a green and white helicopter appeared.  It was the Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and environment who informed us that the the government was talking charge and that local fisherman would perform the rescue.

 

We all sat around and watch them put the net out and then dolphins would escape.  This happened over and over again.  Just about the time we were going to move on to other areas where we were needed,  the minister decided that it would be better to work together.  He laid out a new plan, this one involved the fishermen herding the dolphins into a small catchment area and then the Greek divers netting the dolphins.

 

And as luck would have it the dolphins swam into a netted catch area.  the plan was to slowly make the enclosure smaller and smaller and then net them.  We all went into action preparing what was needed on the shore: slings, water, towels, tube and funnel for intubation, antibiotics, and fresh water for hydration.

 

The going was really slow.  For two hours we all stood on the shore anticipating the final stage of the rescue.  Each time they tried to pull in the nets, they became tangled in debris and tree stumps on the bottom.

 

Then the sky roared again with the arrival of two green and white helicopters.  This time it was Chuvit Knunkiti, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment.  He came to cheer-on the rescuers.

 

As the army pulled the nets on shore closing in on the dolphins, the Greek divers worked to un-snag the nets.  The visibility was zero.  There was concern about the divers constantly going up and down in seven meters of water to clear the snagged nets.  So many re-dives could cause the divers to experience the "bends"

 

Then the dolphins stopped surfacing.  We were concern was they may have died from stress or had become snagged in the nets and drowned.

 

Then someone yelled that the dolphins were swimming free at the other end of the lagoon.

 

It was decided to pull in the nets.  We all held our breath in anticipation of what might come up.  Only hours before we had found two bodies, a woman and a headless baby.  But luckily this time, all that came up was garbage and branches.

 

The Minister called for a re-grouping.  Various ideas were floated and discussed.

 

Jim suggested either 1) dredge all of the debris out of the catchment area in order to make it easier to draw in the nets, or  2) drain the lagoon into an adjacent empty area.  Either option was going to take a few days. The minister said he would talk to the army corps of engineers.

 

We disbanded not very sure about what would happen next. 

 

Jim and Jeff said the dolphins should be fine up to 20 days, they were in good shape and there was plenty of fish in the lagoon.

 

 

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