Volunteers Rally To Save Rising Number of Beached Whales and Dolphins

TaiwanPlus News

Volunteers from the Taiwan Cetacean Society are learning how to rescue stranded whales and dolphins that are increasingly washing up on Taiwan’s beaches.

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00:00On a beach in northeastern Taiwan, an unwelcome sight.

00:04A dwarf sperm whale struggling on the sand,

00:08and a group of volunteers racing to save its life.

00:14They've been trained by Marine Conservation Organization,

00:17the Taiwan Cetacean Society.

00:30Sperm whales are a medium that allows us to find these people and do some things.

00:38The organization has attracted conservationists and animal lovers,

00:42like Joanna Hung, a salesperson from Taipei,

00:45who learned how to respond to marine animals in need.

00:49We may think that we can help marine animals,

00:54but if we don't have the right knowledge,

00:57we may harm them more.

01:01I want to help them, but I don't have the resources.

01:05It's not uncommon to come across injured marine life in Taiwan,

01:09from beached whales and dolphins to injured sea turtles.

01:13But in recent years, researchers are seeing a rise in the number of stranding incidents,

01:19from 40 to 60 per year in the past, up to 90.

01:24We have evidence that shipping, shipping traffic,

01:29and fishing, and even pollution, play a very big role.

01:35Responding to this trend has been a challenge,

01:38and the majority of animals that become beached on Taiwan's shores do not survive,

01:43including, sadly, this dwarf sperm whale.

01:47But for the Taiwan Cetacean Society and its volunteers like Joanna,

01:52giving washed-up whales and dolphins a fighting chance makes the effort worthwhile.

01:57Ethan Pan and Harrell Hughes for Taiwan Plus.

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