The Indian Ocean is their kingdom, the Reunion coast their box. The whales come to mate or give birth to their young in these places, every year, at the end of the austral winter. More than 320 individuals have been sighted this year in warm ocean waters, a record. Humpback whales have long been hunted, but are now rescued.
The 200 bottlenose dolphins are also preserved by an association which observes the different cetaceans of Reunion Island. “We will follow them observation after observation, year after year, see the fertility of the group, see the possible mortality, if there have been accidents, if there are juveniles, and thus establish a little of their collective health”explain Jean-Marc Gancile, communications manager for the Globice Réunion association.
Lots of trash on the seabed
In the ocean, many dangers await them, but also the turtles. Plastic waste, hooks washed up on the seabed or collisions with boats threaten them every day. Those that are picked up by fishermen are brought to a turtle hospital, with intensive care. 40 of them go through it every year, like Marina who had to have surgery after a hook got stuck in her flesh. A fauna to preserve which is not safe from disappearing as long as the waste invades the waters.