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