TV host and naturalist Nicolette de Vidar was present through much of the effort to rescue Timmy the humpback whale and return him to the ocean. On May 16th, she hosted a 90-minute discussion with five members of the rescue team who worked together to free Timmy (also known as Hope).
Timmy had stranded on sandbanks in Northern Germany waters. In her introduction, Nicolette notes that many people witnessed Timmy being gradually freed from the sandbanks. But what then happened on the barge that transported him to where he was released into the ocean has, until members of the team were ready to tell the story themselves, been a matter of rumor, hearsay and speculation.
By signed agreement with Stefan Meyer, the captain of the barge, Jeff Foster, the Whale Sanctuary Project’s Whale Transfer & Rehab Coordinator, was designated the lead for all whale-related operations. Stefan was assigned responsibility for overseeing the barge and safety crew.
But protocols that had been agreed broke down. In one case, when Jeff requested that the tugboat retrieve his colleagues of the whale rescue team from the other boats to ensure a safe and properly coordinated operation, his request was denied multiple times by the tugboat captain.
In her video, Nicolette interviews the whale rescue team members about the specifics of what happened aboard the three boats and the barge. The team includes Jeff along with:
- Mike Partica, marine mammal expert and trainer specializing in the management of rehabilitation and release of dolphins and orcas;
- Kyra Wadsworth, animal caregiver and trainer of sea mammals, with experience in rehabilitation of dolphins, whales and other animals;
- Dr. Anne Herrschaft, Timmy’s lead veterinarian on the mission. (Anne could not be present for this interview);
- Dr. Kirsten Tonnies, German veterinarian who was also on Timmy’s rescue team;
- Sergio Bambaren, Peruvian writer and author of “The Dreaming Dolphin,” known by many as the “whale whisperer.”
Jeff has also written a detailed summary of the events discussed in this interview. The Whale Sanctuary Project has posted this summary on the blog here.