Our Marine Wildlife Management team learnt how to disentangle whales!

The Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Marine Wildlife Management Programme (MWMP) is devoted to preserving the welfare of the abundant wildlife within the V&A Waterfront and its surroundings. While our team’s most regular interactions are with Cape fur seals, Cape clawless otters, and seabirds, we are also committed to upskilling whenever possible. This extends to learning how to disentangle whales!

Recently, several members of our staff participated in whale disentanglement training led by the legendary South African Whale Disentanglement Network. Representing both the Two Oceans Aquarium and its Foundation were Martine Viljoen, Dr Ilse Jenkinson, Claire Taylor, Nathan de Beer, and Andrea Taylor. These staff members were chosen for their expertise with wildlife, experience on board vessels, and availability to respond to an entangled whale situation.

Why is whale disentanglement training necessary?

Like many marine animals, entanglement poses the highest threat to whales. They are particularly susceptible to entanglement in discarded ocean debris as well as active or ghost fishing gear such as lobster traps, shark nets, ropes, and buoys. However, due to the danger involved in disentangling an animal of such size, many entangled whales are left to suffer severe injury and even a slow death.

Thankfully, the South African Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) was established in 2006 to rescue entangled cetaceans. This includes facilitating disentanglement training, coordinating rescue attempts, and documenting entanglements. Since its inception, SAWDN has responded to nearly 400 whales in need, from humpback to the Bryde’s whales!

As one of the first responders for marine wildlife rescue in the Atlantic Seaboard, the MWMP needs to be equipped for a range of rescues, including whales. “Without rescuers’ assistance, these whales will undergo a long, slow, and painful death that no animal deserves. We feel it is our responsibility to play a part in reducing whale entanglement deaths through the removal of entanglements before it is too late,” says Martine Viljoen, MWMP Manager. To this end, in September 2024, our staff undertook an intensive training workshop with SAWDN.

What does whale disentanglement entail?

Our staff underwent two full days of training, joined by the City of Cape Town and SANParks. The course was led by SAWDN’s founder, Michael Meÿer. The comprehensive theory was paired with immersive practical sessions on board a vessel, where a whale disentanglement was simulated using buoys and a moving vessel.

Safely disentangling whales involves a very specific set of procedures. In every situation, the entangled whale requires an initial assessment to inspect for the type and severity of entanglement. This gives the rescue team time and perspective to formulate a strategy to remove all entanglements restricting the whale. Once a plan has been set, the team deploys two vessels: The smaller will focus on disentangling the whale with specialised cutting tools while the other acts as support, carrying additional equipment and crew members.

This was put into practice using two vessels, one acting as an ‘entangled whale’ and the other carrying the disentangling team. The ‘whale’ had a buoy floating behind it, which the disentangling team attempted to remove using SAWDN’s specialised equipment. The teams practised a variety of scenarios, including the techniques required to disentangle a whale with its tail trapped underwater and stuck to the bottom.

Not only did our teams learn the practical skills to safely disentangle a whale, but they also learnt how to handle the high-stress nature and physical demands of these situations. One of the top priorities is the safety of both humans and animals. For instance, rescuers would rotate positions where necessary to ensure that fatigue doesn’t result in mistakes or rash decisions.

What are some key takeaways?

Our MWMP team is dedicated to reducing human-wildlife conflict, so whale disentangling aligns perfectly with our mission to assist wildlife affected by human activities. Our team learnt that a few absolute necessities lie at the core of whale disentangling: Specialised cutting knives and hooks that will not cause harm to the animal, skilled personnel, a highly trained skipper for manoeuvring safely around a distressed whale, and patience.

Notably, training highlighted the value of collecting as many details as possible from the people reporting the entanglement, particularly if they are unable to remain with the entangled whale until the rescue team arrives. Entangled whales can cover large distances in varying directions during the interim period between sighting and the MWMP teams’ arrival. Information such as location, species, size, entanglement description (including photographs), approximate speed of travel, and direction can greatly reduce the time spent searching for the entangled whale. This can make a huge difference in first responders’ efforts to be able to re-sight the whale and ultimately improve their success rate in removing the entanglement.

Martine Viljoen, MWMP Manager, says, “We are proud to be trained responders and have our wildlife experience and skill set recognised outside the V&A Waterfront space. We are appreciative to have undergone this level of training, and while we hope that we do not need to make use of it, we are ready for when it would be required to do so.”