Nearly 400 lifeguards and others were put through a refresher session on rescue and handling of stranded marine wildlife, including dolphins and sea turtles recently as part of Drishti Marine’s on job training.
Drishti Marine is the beach safety partner of Goa tourism and conducts the refresher programme every year in the monsoon months based on global standard procedures in rescue and handling of marine wildlife.
Besides internationally recognised first response methods to deal with marine species washing up and getting stranded at beaches, the two-day refresher touched on different forms of marine creatures, their movement patterns and other specific information.
“This annual refresher training is based on an initiative established by Goa Forest Department in 2017 in collaboration with IUCN-India and local social enterprise Terra Conscious to create a statewide Marine Wildlife Stranding Response & Monitoring Network in Goa,” according to Navin Awasthi, who heads operations at Drishti Marine.
“Species experts and veterinarians from Reefwatch India who provide veterinary support to the Goa Forest department, were consulted to provide guidance for timely response and support to the State Forest Department,” said Puja Mitra of Drishti Marine Foundation.
Since 2017, Drishti’s lifesavers have been the first responders to water-based rescue and medical emergencies which need human intervention. It has also additionally taken on the responsibility of marine wildlife rescue and handling across Goa’s 105-kilometer coastline.
“The lifesavers have been trained in assigning codes that define whether the animal is alive and needs treatment or if it washes ashore dead,” said Santano Fernandes, a training instructor.
“The lifesavers have been trained on how to safely lift, transport and handle sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds in distress,” Fernandes added.
Goa’s coast has recently reported residential species Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin (Sousa plumbea) and Finless Porpoise, Sea Turtle (reptile) species such as Olive Ridley, Hawksbill and Green Turtle visiting.
Various species of pelagic birds also come, he informed.
The lifesavers were trained how to cordon-off areas when the animal is alive to prevent crowds and ensure onlookers remain at a distance before the stranding case is reported to the State Forest Department for guidance.
Under veterinary supervision, training to ensure the blow hole is not blocked by sand or water in mammals and the animal does not rest on flippers or upside down.
Training to ensure animal’s skin is moist by covering it with wet cloth and periodically pouring water to keep it moist was also imparted.
