ANIMAL RESCUE Courageous commitment
for marine animals in distress

Marine animals in distress need our help and this help needs to be both professional and swift. Rescue experts help stranded animals, such as whales, dolphins or whale sharks back into the water. They also help to disentangle whales, dolphins, sea turtles, seals, seabirds and other animals that get entrapped in plastic waste or fishing gear.

This is why Ocean Custody supports expert rescue organisations around the world. We support training, capacity building and knowledge transfer among rescue experts. We assist with manuals for field operations and help purchase rescue-kits, food and medicines for animals that are hospitalised.

Ocean Custody has co-founded the Sea Turtle Rescue Alliance, a worldwide network to connect and empower the sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation community worldwide with expertise, knowledge-transfer and exchange of data. This pioneering project to improve the care and welfare of injured sea turtles is unique and full of potential.

 

Protect the ocean with your donation.​

Your donation will help to ensure that threatened marine animals are protected and that their habitats are conserved.

where we are active

Weltkarte

England

Animal rescuers respond to injured marine mammals over 1,000 times per year.

Maledives

When sea turtles get entangled in plastic, it takes humans to free them.

Venezuela

Dozens of stranded whale sharks rescued – with the help from local people.

Mauritania

The last large colony of Mediterranean monk seals under protection at Cap Blanc.

threats

Grindwale Strandung

Strandings

Whales and dolphins sometimes strand alive. The reasons vary and strandings can be due to natural causes. However, all too often, mass stranding is also caused by human activities. There is clear evidence that loud underwater noise, for example from military sonars ,can cause strandings. In addition, drive hunts deliberately drive whales and dolphins ashore where they are subsequently killed. Ocean Custody works with stranding networks worldwide to save animals and also to work to better understand the causes. Ocean Custody also campaigns against underwater noise and the cruel hunting of whales and dolphins.

Meeresschildkröte mit Plastiknetz

Entanglement

Over 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear are abandoned or lost at sea every year. The abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear threatens millions of marine animals. Fish and invertebrates become entangled, die and become bait for larger marine animals – such as whales, dolphins, sharks, sea turtles, seals, seabirds and other animals, which, in turn, can themselves become entangled in the nets as they feed, become ensnared themselves and then die in agony. Ocean Custody supports expert organisations that free marine animals from ghost nets and plastic waste and, as a member of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, works toward the reduction of ghost nets.

VIDEOS

Rescuing stranded seals in England
British Divers Marine Life Rescue, a partner of Ocean Custody, in 2021 carried out over 3,200 missions in 2021 and took 378 seals into care.

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

More Information
Unblock content Accept required service and unblock content

STORies on animal protection

Story
A summer of turtles in Spain, with many new nesting sites identified
Read nowAnimal Rescue Sea Turtles
With 50 Euro

you make an important contribution to ensuring that injured dolphins, whales, seals and sea turtles can be found, cared for and released back into the wild.

donate now
Meeresschildkröte

JOIN US IN SUPPORTING MARINE CONSERVATION

With your donation

Every amount is of value and will help to protect the ocean and its inhabitants both today and in the future.

With your commitment

Get active: your voice under petitions and your involvement in actions – such as Cleanup Day – is important and counts.

World Cleanup Day Zürich
Become active now