The greatest long-term threat to our existence is climate change and the lack of care of our environment. The NSRI believes in doing everything possible to reduce our carbon footprint and impact on the environment. We also advocate the conservation of South Africa’s marine areas and support animal rescues.
Water crises in the Western, Eastern and Southern Cape, extreme weather conditions and devastating wildfires have all underlined the importance of the environment to sustainability and livelihoods.
We have taken a position with regards to conservation to identify with initiatives to conserve marine animals, whales, dolphins, turtles and seabirds, and actively participate in programmes related to protecting these species. We are positively against marine pollution of a solid, biological and chemical nature and lobby local government to improve their systems. We understand the impact that marine pollution has on human health and our activism relates to our values around human life. The ocean cannot continue to absorb the waste it is confronted with and we must make internal and external effort as an organisation to reduce pollution.
We are conscious of energy requirements and its impact on the environment, and we are constantly striving to reduce our environmental footprint through more efficient sources and mechanisms like LED lighting, four-stroke outboard motors, building insulation and reduced travel.
Help us to protect our planet.
Help us preserve South Africa’s marine wildlife.
The results of our energy-efficient and water-saving strategies have led to a reduction in our overall carbon footprint. Our facilities and assets reflect a culture of safety and concern for the environment. We strive to create awareness around the preservation of natural resources, including marine wildlife, and will always respond to marine animals in distress. Around 140 Sea Rescue volunteers, operating from 18 stations, have been trained to perform whale disentanglements.
Last month, intense rains led to severe flooding at TEARS Animal Rescue in Sunnydale, inundating parts of the facility, with the dog kennels among the worst affected. Quick coordination and swift action from the NSRI, along with the broader community, helped prevent a bad situation from becoming a tragedy.
A juvenile Humpback whale has been successfully disentangled from fishing rope and flotation buoys in a challenging disentanglement operation on Tuesday.
On Saturday, 7 June, BCMM (Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality) Aquarium arranged a local fixed wing aircraft (airborne on a flight) to scan the coastline in an effort to spot a Humpback whale trailing a large flotation buoy that had been reported to NSRI on Friday afternoon.
Sadly, a juvenile Humpback whale, beached at Robberg Nature Reserve, has unavoidably been humanely euthanised by marine authorities, assisted by Police, despite extensive efforts to try to save the whale.
We often picture boats cutting through waves to reach people in peril when we think of rescue missions. But sometimes, it’s a dolphin on a quiet beach – or a house fire in the early hours of Christmas Eve – that reminds us just how far the NSRI's reach truly extends.
Cape Town, [Monday 20 January 2025] – Following an incident involving a seal and freedivers off Simons Town’s Windmill Beach in False Bay, the NSRI wishes to acknowledge the swift response and ongoing efforts of the City of Cape Town, whose staff actively managed the situation on-site.