Ramey
It was a once in a lifetime and I did it!!
I am sure all of you have heard about the stranded pilot whales in Cudjoe Key, FL.
On Thursday close to 25 Pilot Whales beached themselves on sandbars and mangroves out in the gulf and were brought in to the closest make shift "Sea Pen" area where veterinarians and volunteers could get to them to try to save their life. They needed volunteers to help hold them up in the water in 4 hour shifts around the clock.
Well it is across US 1 from me on Blimp Road . I had been there a little at first but did not go in the water because I did not have a wet suit so I did errands and checked people in etc. You must have a wet suit on to stay in the water for that long day or night and for protection to the whale. They had plenty of volunteers booked through Sunday night.
Late Monday afternoon I was speaking to a neighbor and she said the new had worn off and it was not as glamorous as it sounds and the volunteers were not showing up. So before dinner I went over there to see how I could help. I ended up putting on a borrowed wet suit (that smelled like a men's locker room) and going in the water just before dark.
It was very well organized with veterinarians and staff from The Marine Mammal Conservancy from Key Largo. 2 people would lock hands under their head to keep their blow hole out of the water. 2 people would be on either side of their dorsal fin to make sure the body stayed straight up. It was a beautiful star lite night. There was a lot of rules about how you held them and where not to touch them and how often to put a little water on them. Over the night, multiple staff and 3 different vets came by (who each told you to hold them differently) to check on the 5 patients. One large male, 2 females and 2 smaller females that one was barely still nursing (not quit 2). (No it's mother was not in the living.) Each vet and staff member taught you something new!! I took mine's pulse. There is a soft spot under the pectoral fin and you can feel the heart beat really easy. Also I monitored her temperature. You could not hold on to the back (or curved) of her dorsal fin, but I was told to touch it to see if it got too hot and keep it cooled down with water. It is where they release heat from their body. The biggest obstacle was the tide going out and getting too shallow for them. When I got in the water around 8:00 p.m. I was standing up and the water came up to my chest. It got as shallow as, I was on my knees and it only came up to my waist. It was harder to keep them straight then with out touching the bottom where the rocks and coral could scratch them.
Getting them out for transport to the MMC was presenting an immediate challenge. The largest one was a male who was very compromised with phenomena. Border line to euthanize him or try to save his life. There decision was to give him the chance and keep them all together as a family since they are so family oriented.
Let me interject here. They still do not know and may very well never know why they all beached themselves. The biggest conclusion is that one was sick and beached and they stick together as a family and follow suit. DOES THIS TELL YOU SOMETHING?? They assume that one of the ones that died was compromised in someway but it is hard for the blood samples of the deceased to give you an accurate picture. I am not sure of the number, but I think a lot that died were already dead when they found them and some they euthanize d.
They were waiting for the tide to start coming back in so it would be a little easier to get them out of the water. I think the marines were called in to help carry them out of the shallows by this time.
It was very dark out there with lights only on shore where they were preparing and instructing for the transportation.
About 3:00 they started the procedure. Mine was 3rd, about 3:30 a.m. We would bring the one they wanted up as close as we could then about 12 guys slid a gurney under them and would lift them up to carry them the rest of the way up to the truck where they had a HUGE crane lift them into a paneled 18 wheeler. The Publix (our super market down here) truck had foam across the floor and about 3 feet up the side. They put a small female and large female side by side and staff members were sitting in between to hold them up right and keep putting water on them. The larger male went in last. Because he was the sickest they wanted him to go in last and come out first. They picked him up from the water with the crane.
It took about an hour to load all 5 and were finished about 4:00 for the 80 mile journey to Key Largo and the MMC facility.
Well, the smell of that wet suit and how fast I needed to get home and get a shower at 4 a.m. will not last a lifetime like the experience to spend the night with 900+ pound #303 will!
Follow them and the other 2 already released at www.MarineMammalConservancy.org
Hope you enjoyed my true story. I could go on. It is hard to tell when to stop sharing my extraordinary experience.
Love to all,
MC
Murray Cox
Simply The Best
Events & Travel
877-618-6803
917-833-7615
JMNMC1989@gmail.com
www.stbevents.rovia.com
www.stbevents.worldventures .biz
Murray Cox
Simply The Best
Events & Travel
877-618-6803
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