An orca expert has blasted the Department of Conservation for their inaction which resulted in a man being stood down from his job when he rescued an orca that was close to death.
Whitianga Harbourmaster Mat Collicott was stood down from his operational duties today after he saved an orca with some others at 1am, after waiting 16 hours for DOC to respond.
Scientist Dr Ingrid Visser said the handling of the situation was ``deplorable''.
She said DOC could have called experts or conservationists to help. Instead they left it until locals decided to do it themselves, and Mr Collicott was punished.
She understands that DOC are struggling with budget cuts but they did not need to pay anything to get this orca rescued. Dr Visser founded the Orca Research Trust, which has a team fully trained in whale rescue.
``If DOC had made the phone call to the right people then Mat wouldn't have had to be called at midnight.
``Because DOC didn't respond and Mat did, Mat's lost his job.
``It boggles the mind how this happened.
``They're all in a case of cover their ass. Everyone is keeping their mouth shut because they don't want to be blamed.''
The killer whale was feeding on stingrays yesterday off Tokaroa Rock, at Tuateawa Bay.
A Facebook post to a Whitianga community page said DOC was alerted at 9.30am yesterday. At 7pm it still could not get to the orca, so locals decided to do it themselves.
That's when Mr Collicott stepped in. He teamed up with Cathedral Cove water taxi operators and they untangled the orca.
Dr Visser said the stressed orca was swimming to the surface to breathe once every minute ``which is incredibly fast for a stationary animal''. She said orcas can hold their breath for up to 15 minutes.
By the time Mr Collicott got to it, the orca had been tangled for more than 16 hours. It had to drag a heavy craypot to the surface each time it wanted to breathe. Dr Visser said when Mr Collicott got there the orca was being supported by another under the water.
``It was vital that they intervened, or that animal would have died.''
Mr Collicott took the boat closer to the whale and was able to hook up the line with the craypot and pull it alongside to take the weight off the animal. They then cut it free and it immediately swam off with the others.
Mr Collicott claimed today on Facebook: ``So my boss just stood me down from my Harbourmaster role for going out at night on the boat to save an orca.''
He will be back at work tomorrow but will not be allowed to do his usual operational duties, which includes going out on vessels.
DOC communications adviser Nick Hirst said a fisherman reported the tangled orca on Wednesday morning. At this time staff with the appropriate training were on an island on the western side of the peninsula. They were only able to leave by late afternoon.
By this time DOC had a second report from the fisherman that he thought the orca was not in imminent danger.
``The trained DOC staff struck rough sea conditions and strong winds as they headed for the orca. As the orca was not in imminent danger and they were unable to reach it before it got dark, they returned to Whitianga.''
Mr Hirst said the staff intended to rescue the orca early on Thursday morning. He said the rescue of entangled marine mammals carries ``a high degree of risk'' and should only be done by those who have the appropriate training.
``This is to ensure the people carrying out the rescue are not put in danger and to ensure that the entangled animal is also kept safe.''
Dr Visser said this is not the first time DOC have neglected to save a killer whale. She cited the March stranding and death of an orca in South Taranaki as another example of DOC failing marine mammals. She believed DOC rank marine mammals with a lower priority.
Dr Visser said we should be fiercely protecting New Zealand orca. She explained there are fewer orca than kiwis, around 200. They have their own dialect, hunting technique and social groupings making them ``very very special''.
``There's a fundamental flaw in the way DOC is operating. This isn't the first time the hotline failed to respond to a marine animal rescue.''
One of the things that worried Visser the most from this example is that Kiwis will be discouraged from helping.
``The really sad thing is New Zealanders are kind at heart, always willing to get in there and muck in in events like this. But when you see what happened to someone who does help, they lose their job. You get people frightened to help''
Waikato Regional Council chief executive Vaughan Payne confirmed Mr Collicott is not doing operational duties while inquiries continue.
``The council acknowledges the staff member's good intent.
``However, the council is checking whether any regulations were breached or operational procedures not followed during the rescue.''
Mr Payne said Mr Collicott was due to finish his employment on Friday, as he resigned some time ago.
