A few beaked whales swim off the coast of Zandvoort. They suddenly appeared this afternoon among unsuspecting beach guests, who immediately came to the rescue. Striking images, but above all a worrying situation, says Annemarie van den Berg of SOS Dolfijn. The animals do not normally survive in the North Sea. A major aid campaign has therefore been launched.
Beaked whales are whale species and do not normally live in the North Sea. The animals swim in deep waters, so that they are now swimming here is worrying, explains Annemarie van den Berg of SOS Dolphin.
It is probably a mother and her calf, but various reports about the numbers are coming in at the dolphin reporting center. The mother got too close to the shore earlier and got stuck there.
Bystanders helped the beast back to deeper water. “In that regard, it is lucky that it is busy on the beach today,” emphasizes Van den Berg. It must not have been easy to push the animal back: adult beaked whales are around 4.5 meters long and weigh a few tons.
Major relief action
SOS Dolfijn, together with the KNRM and the rescue brigade, is working on a major action to save the dolphins. First the animals are located, after which boats sail between the dolphins and the coast. “We want to prevent them from swimming towards the coast again.”
Van den Berg is not yet sure whether the animals will end well. “We are still busy with the rescue.”
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