Humans aren’t great when it comes to looking after other species on the planet. We’ve known this for a while.
One of the most exploited animals are/were whales. A lot of whaling has now been halted, but only after we reduced their populations to near extinction. But while the harpooning might have subsided, we’re still running them over with our boats.
Thousands of whales are injured or killed each year after being struck by ships, particularly the large container vessels that ferry 80% of the world’s traded goods across the oceans. Collisions are the leading cause of death worldwide for large whale species.
If this sort of thing was happening on land, we’d all be up in arms, not least because whales shouldn’t be on land.
But you know what I mean.
That said, it’s really difficult to spot whales in the oceans, and then even more difficult to spot them in time to make an evasive manoeuvre with a 300m long container vessel.
An artificial intelligence-powered whale detection system that aims to transmit real-time alerts to ships to prevent them from colliding with whales.
And that link is to a really interesting article about the design, implementation, challenges and goals for this system, which aims to make ship strikes a thing of the past.
Not that my brain wanders when I’m tired, and not that English is a weird language, but is there any particular reason why only these things are mongered?
There doesn’t seem to be any obvious link between them.
Other than the mongering, of course.
UPDATE: A turophile has been in touch: “Cheese. Cheese is also mongered.”
It still doesn’t assist with any sort of link though, does it?
This is the Trwyn Du Lighthouse in Wales. Well, where else would it be with a name like that?
But it does look lovely and chunky.
Lighthouses are great because they light up and stop ships and boats from hitting rocks at night. But this one has an added trick: it has words on it to prevent ships and boats from hitting rocks during the day, as well.
“NO PASSAGE LANDWARD” it says, because if the tide is in, you might think that there was.
And there clearly isn’t.
And in case you didn’t notice the huge letters on the lighthouse, there’s a big sign on the land as well. Just so that the local cyclists have something to ignore.
These warnings do rather suggest that, despite the presence of a 95ft high lighthouse, people – and by “people”, I mean “sailors” – have felt that they were safe to try and sneak through nearer the land than the actual tower. I can’t actually imagine what sort of mind you would have to have to think that this would be a good idea. Lighthouses are famously built on big, sharp rocks, and generally, giving a lighthouse a wide berth (good nautical terminology) is a sensible thing to do. But if you were to decide to go near a lighthouse, especially one built so very close to the shoreline, then I would think that choosing the deeper, wetter side would be an absolute no-brainer.
Interestingly, Cape Agulhas Lighthouse doesn’t have any big writing on the side, nor does it have a sign telling you where you can or can’t go in relation to the structure. But I wouldn’t suggest that you try and get your boat through the landward side of that one, either.
Much drama this Sunday morning when our hiking group – minus our family for a variety of reasons – went out and about on the front face of Table Mountain and up to the saddle of Devil’s Peak. The guys that were out on Sunday aren’t super athletes, but they are seasoned outdoorspeople and regular hikers. And they were hiking well within their means and abilities, actually having changed routes the night before because of concerns over how difficult their original plans might have been in the less than perfect weather. Sensible people.
And then, one of our friends fell about 15 metres off the path and down the mountain. I got a call at about 10:20 asking for help, and I was able to share the Wilderness Search & Rescue (WSAR) emergency number and advise over the phone on a tiny bit of first aid, but it was unpleasant not being able to be there and be hands on to assist.
Because this wasn’t a slip and slide, this was a proper fall from height, and required rescuers and paramedics to be flown in and winched down, such was the terrain. Here’s what they were dealing with:
Those are a couple of the hiking group in front of the helicopter on the right. That’s where she fell from, that’s what she went over, and she’s some distance down underneath the flying man. Chilling to see it like this.
The air ambulance and the Wilderness Search & Rescue teams were really organised, well-trained and efficient. They stabilised her – while attaching themselves to the mountainside, such was the precarious position of the rescue – and then got her up and away…
… and down to the waiting ambulance on Tafelberg Road. We were able to get there to help the rest of the group back home, while her husband followed her to hospital.
Following some surgery this morning, she’s now out of danger, and thankfully – amazingly – she seems to have been extremely lucky. Notwithstanding that she has some serious injuries, given the situation, it could have been so much worse, and she’s expected to make a full – if rather long – recovery.
It’s worth remembering that these things can happen to anyone, and it’s worth knowing what to do should they happen to you. The Wilderness Search & Rescue emergency number is:
021 937 0300
If you’re a local, save it in your phone now. And if you’re not a local, then find your local number and save it in your phone now. You never know when you might need it, and you don’t want to be struggling to try and find it when you do.
We’re really grateful for the help of all the crew who turned out to assist our friend:
But as they point out: The best rescue is one that doesn’t need to happen.
WSAR have a great guide for making sure that you are prepared and safe for your hike. There are some really important points on there to consider. But remember, even if you follow all of that advice, accidents can still happen, as was the case on Sunday. So be prepared.
If you want to donate to WSAR, here are their details. And if you have Snapscan, you can use the QR code below to help out – every cent counts:
