The Marine Animal Stranding Network is made up of volunteers that answer the call to help marine life in distress; they just got backing from the City of Cape Town.
Cape Town, South Africa (09 May 2023) – Over the years the Marine Animal Stranding Network, run by volunteers throughout South Africa’s coastal towns, have saved many animal lives as well as done public service when animals, such as whales, have died near public spaces.
The team is always ready to lend a helping hand, whether to save local bird life, get beached dolphins back to sea, save entangled sea turtles or tow whale carcasses back out to sea and away from beaches.
The Cape Town-based team received a welcome acknowledgement of hard work done and some monetary support to boot. The NSRI plays a vital role in the network, often supplying the resources to make rescues happen.
NSRI CEO Dr Cleeve Robertson has thanked the City of Cape Town (CoCT) and the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews, for their financial contribution towards NSRI’s operational costs during incidents where NSRI volunteers and the CoCT Marine Animal Stranding Network respond to animals in distress on our coastline.
The city has donated the sum of R60,000 which will be part of an annual contribution until 2026. The monies are to be allocated to rescues specifically linked to the Marine Animal Stranding Network.
“Our NSRI volunteers, on duty 24 hours a day every day of the year, are proud to be part of the primary response network that makes up the CoCT Marine Animal Stranding Network and this financial contribution benefits these combined efforts in making a difference as one community with this shared common goal” – Doctor Cleeve Robertson
The city’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews shared that they appreciated the work being done by the NSRI, which relies solely on donations.
‘The NSRI is always helping out with their vessels when whales get stranded on our beaches or rocks. The donation will assist with their fuel and operational costs. R60 000 may not seem like a lot of money, but we believe it will still make a huge difference. The NSRI offers an invaluable service to the public and Cape Town in general when it comes to marine emergencies, and even if all of this money is not used for the towing of marine animals, it will still be spent on worthy causes as the NSRI deems fit.
‘I also want to add that we value our good relations with the NSRI and want to keep on building on this partnership to enhance ocean safety and responses to marine emergencies. The NSRI has a pivotal role to play when it comes to community education and awareness of the ocean environment,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
The Marine Animal Stranding Network will always work to save marine wildlife. It truly is a network made up of heroes!
CoCT Marine Animal Stranding Network, includes amongst others, CoCT officials, NSRI, Disaster Risk Management, the SA Police Services and their SAPS Dive Unit and SAPS Sea Borderline Control, the emergency medical services, CoCT Law Enforcement Marine Unit, Lifeguards, CoCT Fire and Rescue Services, SPCA, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority), MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Authority), Telkom Maritime Radio Services, SA Defence Force – the SA Navy and SA Air Force, Marine Conservation and the Department of Environment – Oceans and Coasts, SA National Parks, Cape Nature and TMNP (Table Mountain National Parks), who all together with a host of organisations, including marine commercial operators and fishermen, public members and recreational sea users alike, who are all are commended for the roles they play in this important mission, responding to marine animals in distress.
It is great to see this hard work acknowledged and a helping hand being offered!
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