The grounding of the cargo ship the Rena and another cargo ship losing power and founding on the rocks at Tauranga is surely a wake-up call for everyone. Your headline of Oct 12 of "How prepared are we?" prompted a reply from the regional council that all is in hand and that the port of Napier is considered low risk.
I am pleased that the regional council is confident that the protocols it has in place will mitigate any damage to the environment. But with increasing ship visits, with the increasing potential for human error (aka the Rena disaster), I hope that more could be done for marine animals that ultimately pay a heavy price.
We have a facility that could be set up quickly as a rescue and rehabilitation centre for oiled animals. Marineland has the facilities and the expertise to be a huge part of a similar operation that is taking place in the Bay of Plenty. Current and former Marineland staff are being employed as specialist oiled animal rescue personnel.
Maritime New Zealand is paying all expenses for the recovery and rehabilitation of these oiled animals. Marineland could also be a sanctuary for those marine animals that are unable to be released in the short term. Another excellent reason to retain Marineland. The public have shown huge support in Tauranga to save as many of the oiled wildlife they can and there is also huge support in this community to retain a revamped and reopened Marineland here.Sue MacdonaldNapierSupport for upgradeSince "Friends of Marineland" began fundraising to turn around the Napier city Council's decision to close Marineland, it has become increasingly obvious that there is a large sector of the community in support of upgrading the existing site to a marine rescue sanctuary and education centre.
The recent Rena disaster in Tauranga has certainly highlighted the need for a facility here to care for marine life in distress. One would have thought that Marineland would be the obvious choice, as the basic infrastructure is already there with a very committed staff looking after animals.
