On the morning of August 28th, a seal hunter shot a emaciated beak whale near Munkmarsch on Sylt (district of North Friesland). The approximately four meter long animal had previously been stranded in the mudflats. According to the Seehund hunter, the whale probably had a fungal infection and would have died anyway.
Sea biologist: “Right decision to redeem the animal”
Rainer Borcherding, marine biologist at the Wadden Sea protection station, said that the experienced Seehund hunter acted correctly. “The animal was dying. I have never seen such a suffering whale. The animal was completely emaciated and had severe skin damage to the lower jaw and around my eyes,” said Borcherding.
Young Schnabelwal-Tier died
It is believed that the whale was a young animal of the Schnabelwal-type northern duck whale that was separated from his mother for previously unknown reasons. The carcass is now being examined at the Hanover veterinary university in Büsum, at the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW). A full -grown northern duck whale can reach a length of up to nine meters. According to Borcherding, the global population is around 40,000 animals, but there are only a few dozen copies in the North Sea. The Schnabelwal family comprises around 20 different subspecies.
Passers -by tried to push the whale into the water
The whale had already been spotted on the east side of Sylt in the days before, and it looked disoriented. On Thursday morning, passers -by tried to push the animal back into the deeper water, which was unsuccessful. In such cases, Borcherding advises to contact the police immediately. This then contacts the seal hunters of the Wadden Sea protection station.
Seehund hunters save animals instead of hunting them
Although the name “Seehundjäger” suggests something else, your task is not to hunt seals. The volunteers must have a hunting license, but their main task is to save injured or helpless animals or, if necessary, to end their suffering. According to the Wadden Sea National Park, the seal hunters transport injured animals to the sanctuary in Friedrichskoog or redeem them if there is no other option. “Because of the increased population of the seals, we need seal hunters who can redeemed animals that are difficult to suffer from far outside on sandbars,” says Borcherding.
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