On Saturday 14 September a team of Marine Mammal Medics from North West Scotland came together in Ullapool to participate in our latest Mass Stranding Exercise.
These events consist of multiple whale and dolphin models (the dolphins standing in as calves) to simulate the mass stranding of a pod of pilot whales. Our team are then invited in to respond as if it were the real thing.
Throughout the day facilitators provided animal health updates for the team to react to, as well as role play characters who interact with the event in various ways, for example media photographers, concerned members of the public, Coastguard and so on.
Management of the incident is a key learning point in these simulations, with key roles being appointed to Medics to step up and take control of, work together and overcome the various scenarios thrown their way as a team. This helps us better prepare for these incidents when they occur, such as the recent stranding of 77 pilot whales in Orkney earlier this year and another 55 in the Isle of Lewis last year.
We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone in the background who helped get the day organised as well as Boonie, James, Sara and Dan who ran the event on the day, and a special shout out for the amazing generosity of Sandor at Broomfield Holiday Park for allowing free use of their site and facilities!
