BDMLR have recently hosted two groups from abroad for intensive two-day marine mammal response training courses!
First up was Apex Cetacean Research, based in France. We previously hosted two of their members in 2023, and this year they’re back with a further 11 trainees to boost their response team dealing with both seals and cetaceans and integrate more knowledge into the French strandings networks. The following week, we then hosted four members of the Dolphin Watch Alliance, based in Hurghada on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, as they look to begin the creation of a strandings network across their region, focusing on cetaceans, touching briefly also on sharks and turtles.
Both organisations undertook a two-day programme of detailed lectures covering biology, ecology, identification, health assessment, first aid, decision making and response techniques. This was supported by practical sessions with our life size models to implement the rescue techniques, followed by discussion sessions on how to integrate our teaching into the frameworks and governance available in their respective countries, and an assessment module where participants were given the opportunity to review case studies and answer a series of questions to test their newfound knowledge.
We’d like to thank all our instructors who delivered these courses, which were hosted at our Cornwall Seal Hospital, and to all trainees for their enthusiasm, insights and time given to participate in our bespoke training programme. BDMLR has either visited or hosted organisations from numerous countries over the years to support the development of their response teams, including Gibraltar, Italy, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malta and more, and is pleased to be able to offer training opportunities internationally. We hope to be able to provide more of these services in the future and welcome enquiries from interested parties for discussion. In the meantime, we look forward to assisting our recent partners in their continuing development!
To enquire about international courses, please email us at info@bdmlr.org.uk.
