Landau June 14, 2025. The care of injured and sick wild animals is also a problem in Chile. There is neither a sustainable infrastructure nor financial regulations for their rehabilitation. Sernapesca, the state fisheries authority, is responsible for the recovery of injured and sick marine animals, but not for their care. There used to be a rescue center for marine animals at the “Museum of Natural History and History” in San Antonio, Central Region. José Brito and their staff did good and dedicated work there for many years. Sphenisco has repeatedly supported this work, for example by purchasing medicines. Some time ago, this station was closed. The reasons are not known to Sphenisco.
Sphenisco has been in talks about a rescue and rehabilitation center for marine animals since August 2022 (see also article from 14.12.23 on these pages). In November 2023, Nancy Duman and Werner Knauf from Sphenisco visited the rescue center on the grounds of the University Católica del Norte (UCN) (1). During the visit, they discussed the maintenance and operation of the enclosure with Dr. Javier Sellanes L. (Secretary of Environmental Affairs of the Faculty of Marine Sciences) and Gerardo Cerda (Sernapesca). The university offered to continue providing the site and necessary infrastructure and saw the station as a useful addition to the existing marine aquariums and the exhibition on regional marine areas. Werner Knauf reiterated his willingness to support the renovation and operation of the station if necessary. Shortly after the visit, at the end of 2023, the rescue station had to be closed due to a lack of funding. Since then, sick and injured animals from the Coquimbo region have to be taken to distant stations and treated there.
After years of negotiations, the University Católica del Norte (UCN) (1), Sernapesca (2), the Fundación Conservación Humboldt (3) and Sphenisco have now signed a contract for the refurbishment and operation of the rescue station in Coquimbo. In accordance with legal obligations, Sernapesca provides assistance and rescues stranded marine animals. This includes transportation for special care or, once rehabilitation is complete, to the place of reintegration. The fishing authority will also provide confiscated seafood to feed the marine animals. As in the past, the University of Coquimbo will provide the enclosure and the necessary infrastructure with drinking water, electricity and seawater, as well as a mooring for the Sernapesca vessel. The university's facilities and infrastructure will also be used for the autopsy of deceased marine animals. The Fundación Conservación Humboldt organizes and supervises the rehabilitation of the enclosure and cares for the sick and injured animals. To this end, it employs veterinary technicians and a vet on an hourly basis. Sphenisco is initially financing the refurbishment and operating costs for one year. The Chilean partners plan to look for other funding for the rescue station during the term of the contract in order to ensure the long-term care of sick marine animals. All contractual partners also want to use the joint project for public relations work and educational activities. The “Coquimbo Rescue Station” project is sponsored by Bergzoo Halle, Dresden Zoo and Frankfurt Zoo.
The Fundación Conservación Humboldt has planned the refurbishment of the rescue station, calculated the costs and plans to start work in June 2025.
W.K.
Annotations
For better readability, the generic masculine is used in this article. The personal designations used in the article refer to all genders, unless otherwise indicated.
(1) Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN), Coquimbo - Catholic University of the North, Coquimbo.
(2) Sernapesca. The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service is a Chilean public institution under the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, whose mission is to monitor compliance with fisheries and aquaculture regulations, provide services to facilitate their proper execution and carry out effective health management to contribute to the sustainability of the sector and the protection of hydrobiological resources and their environment.
3) The Fundación Conservación Humboldt is a non-profit organization founded in 2015, born from the collaboration between students and professors of the Marine Biology course at the Universidad Católica del Norte (1), students and professionals of the Veterinary Medicine course at the Universidad Pedro de Valdivia (now Universidad del Alba) and members of the National Fisheries Service (Sernapesca). During its activity, it has carried out and coordinated various initiatives focused on the rehabilitation of marine fauna, the organization of volunteers, targeted aid and the management of veterinary services to support conservation.
translated by Angelika Veelken
