It’s been 40 years since volunteer legend and marine mammal medic Sheryl Gibney joined Project Jonah, the organisation that’s been saving whales and dolphins since 1974. She talks to the Weekly about her dedicated tenure and some of the rescues she’s proud to have supported.
“I fell in love with marine mammals after training as a scuba diver in 1984. We’d go to dive sites and dolphins would ride the boat’s bow wave. They fascinated me.
We didn’t have the internet then and there weren’t any books about them in the Te Puke library, so I contacted Project Jonah [PJ] because it was the only New Zealand organisation that dealt with dolphins in the ocean environment.
I’d write long letters saying how I felt about dolphins and I remember someone replying, ‘One day, you’ll love whales just as much.’ They were right and I wanted to help save them.
Marine mammal advocate Frank Robson was a guru to me and other PJ members. I used to drive to Napier to hear how he’d travelled the country recording strandings, trying to understand why they’d died. The basis of what Frank taught us is still in use today.
Having learned from him what to do in a stranding, I was able to train others in the Bay of Plenty, including Department of Conservation staff because in 1987, DOC took responsibility for stranded whales.
I was also presented an honorary Marine Mammal Protection Officer Warrant by DOC in recognition of my training and abilities.
The first call-out I attended was for a pygmy sperm whale at Mount Maunganui. I worked at a garage serving petrol and my daughter covered for me. I had no equipment and when I got to the whale, the surf was pounding onto it. To protect it, I sat on my haunches in my work blouse and skirt to form a shield. It snuggled into me and I got this incredible sense these animals know when you’re helping them. It was a beautiful moment and a successful rescue.
As well as training others to be marine mammal medics, I’d give talks and became known as ‘The whale lady of Te Puke’.
I’d do cake sales and sausage-sizzle fundraisers, and always be borrowing my husband Hugh’s ute to carry all the rescue and training gear.
I love humpback whales! In my forties, I spent five days on a research trip watching them in Hervey Bay, Australia. It’s the highlight of my life!
One night, we had whales singing underneath the boat and phosphoresence glowed off their tails as they swam. It was magical. It just about burst the heart out of my chest.
I was a nurse in a rest home at the time and to afford the trip, I did my work’s laundry at weekends. I’d also made it part of my contract that I could go to strandings.
I’ve travelled overseas for PJ a few times too, to help train others and for conferences, including to Cape Cod, Hawaii, Samoa, Australia and Tonga, where I got to swim with a humpback whale.
It ‘hung’ in the water just below me and we eyeballed each other for ages. I felt like I was in another world. I promised that whale I’d protect their species and environment for the rest of my life.
The most emotive stranding was in the mid- ’90s of 50 pilot whales at [South Island’s] Farewell Spit, which is where the first mass stranding I ever attended also was.
By the time we arrived, the animals were panicking and thrashing, and members of the public were dragging them to sea by their tails, which is totally the wrong thing to do. Tails are the most dangerous part.
Twelve had restranded on a boulder beach. They all had to be euthanised. It was heartbreaking and so emotional. I know we can’t save them all, but I’ll never forget that terrible image – it’s etched in my mind. But I can proudly say I’ve helped rescue hundreds of whales.
I can’t attend strandings now because I’m unstable on the beach and have arthritis. But at 77, I’m still grateful to be very much part of PJ as a non-attending committee member.
And I’m so proud of the team, the education programme and the new life-sized walk-through whale resource. It has a classroom inside its belly.
Being part of Project Jonah has been my life. I encourage others to do the marine mammal medic training course – it’s amazing.
Whales are still being killed under the guise of science and by pollution. Give them every chance you can to survive.”
For more on Project Jonah, visit projectjonah.org.nz
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