What can I do?
There are many things that individual members of the public can do to ensure that Henry and his species survive.
Dispose of your rubbish properly
Despite rubbish traps on drains, most of the rubbish in the Adelaide streets ends up in the ocean. Cigarette butts and small objects look like small fish and are eaten by marine animals or the prey they eat. Plastic bags looks like squid and when marine animals eat them, they can cause intestinal blockages.
When on the beach, take rubbish home with you or use the bins provided. Syringes and glass pose threats not only to wildlife but to humans as well.
If your fishing line is tangled, do not throw the tangle away. Nylon lasts for centuries and it cuts into the skin of marine mammals. Fishing line is a common cause of entanglements. If animals swallow a hook, bait and line, the line can become tangled in their throats or stomachs and kill them.
Be especially careful on boats. Tie down bait bags and bait boxes so they do not blow overboard.
Free copies of an educational poster are available for pickup from BradPage@malpage.com. The posters are a great educational gift for children. Please email Brad to organise delivery of the posters.
Keep wildlife wild
Do not feed any wild animals, including sea-lions and fur-seals. If fur-seals and sea-lions learn that people provide food, they can become aggressive if people don’t feed them.
As Henry has shown, human food is not part of an animal’s natural diet and is not good for them. Feeding wildlife can result in them becoming sick and developing fatal illnesses such as liver and kidney failure.
Wild animals do not want or need human affection or pats. It is frightening and disruptive.
Don’t rescue animals that don’t need rescuing
Leave young pinnipeds on the beach where their mother can find them. Unless there is an imminent threat, young animals are better off in their natural environment than in care. Juvenile pinnipeds tame very quickly and once they become reliant on humans they can never be released. Fin surfing and resting on land are normal. Do not be concerned and do not try to save the animal.
Leave animals alone
Do not prod, poke, kick or scare a sleeping animal. Seals can react and move quickly on land and can cause severe injury to dogs and humans so avoid getting any closer than 20 metres to a seal or sea lion.
Support pinniped research and conservation
Non-government organisations such as Project Dolphin Safe, the Australian Dolphin Research Foundation, RSPCA and the Nature Foundation of SA do a terrific job and provide crucial support to government conservation and animal welfare programs. Your in-kind and financial support of such groups can make a real difference to long term conservation outcomes. Adopt Henry to support ongoing tracking and conservation of marine wildlife.