Page 192 - Mit dem Wohnwagen durch Australien 2

The free sunset cruise in the evening was less serene. There was quite a breeze coming up and the water was
choppy. The skipper warned us upon entering the Shotover, that we would get wet. And wet we got, despite the
yellow slickers which we donned. The Asian students onboard screeched and laughed with each wave washing
over us it was a real fun roller coaster ride. Good thing, that the water was about 30 C and the evening air even
warmer. We were soaked to the bone but had good fun. Back in the car for our last drive back to Denham I really did
not want to leave, so I signed up to volunteer for 4 days.

I briefly doubted my decision when the alarm clock went off at 6 am! Beat was nice enough to prepare breakfast. But
then he was glad to have some quiet days alone in the caravan to do as he pleased. When the cat is out of the
house..... 7.30 my duty started with opening up the cinema and the exposition rooms, printing out and displaying the
weather forecasts, preparing the fish for the dolphin feeding. Only freshly unfrozen, complete, unblemished fish is
used. This was a very exact science. Each dolphin gets a maximum amount of fish fed during maximal 3 feedings
until 12 am. It all has to be reported minutely including weather conditions, number of visitors, number of boats in
the bay, trailer in the parking area and tide movement. In the olden days, dolphins were fed all day long, as long as
they wanted. During that time, most of the young dolphins died. When it was researched, it was found out, that the
mothers could not feed the young in the shallow waters and they just starved. So now there is a rigorous routine.
Always the same 5 female dolphins are fed with about one third of their daily feeding. The rest they have to hunt
themselves out in the bay. They are part of a closely monitored scientific research project. Male dolphins are too
aggressive, so they are not encouraged to come but they still do. Up to 20 dolphins swim in the feeding area for the
first feed. The ranger starts their talk and hundreds of tourists stand in the warm waters. Exactly 20 minutes after the
start of the talk we volunteers have to warn them via radio that only 5 minutes are left. Then we advise them that we
come down to the beach with the 5 silver buckets with the fish.

Another bucket is dispatched to the edge of the beach in order to feed Pelicans to distract them form the Dolphin
feeding. Otherwise they would fly in and steal the fish out of the hand of the Tourists. Everybody has to get out of the
water and we enter it like the half gods we are for a couple of minutes. Now comes the best part, we are to choose
the lucky tourists who are allowed to feed one fish each to our assigned dolphin. I get Nicky, a very cheeky and
feeding wise mother with her calf Fin. She turns on her side und looks at me, then she buts me lightly in the leg and
waits for the goodies to come. The visitors are told by the rangers, that we would not choose anyone still standing
in the water and/or pointing at themselves or making other signs to attract our attention. Still, they never learn. So I
chose a middle aged lady, hand her a fish holding it at its head so she can grab the tail and tell her to hold it low and
to let go once it is in Nicky’s mouth. Down it goes. Nobody is allowed to touch the dolphins. Before we assign our
last fish we have to hold our hand in the air. Then all the volunteers but I get to choose their last tourist. Once they
have all fed their fish I gracefully chose the last tourist to feed Nicky. If I would not keep Nicky by my side she would
dart like lightning to the other four dolphins and snatch their fish in front of their noses. We rinse the buckets and the
dolphin swim out into the Bay. Even though we feed differing numbers of fish every day, depending on their individual
weight, the dolphins know exactly when the feed is over.

After the feeding the middle aged tourist hugs me and thanks me for the experience. She is a journalist and has
dreamt of being able to feed a dolphin herself for ages. Instant happiness! She does not know that sometimes we
already know who to choose before the feed, like some of the cancer camp kids, or the friend of a ranger or
volunteer, or a former volunteer disguised as a tourist. We are 4 to 5 volunteers, all young international students
except me. One day a European girl forgets to hold up her hand when she had Nicky and fed her last fish. Nicky
turned around immediately and swam like a torpedo to another volunteer and snatched the fish from under the
snout of the less experienced younger dolphin, giving the volunteer a heavy jolt and resulting bruise. Nicky weighs
about 120 kg and with a speed of 40 km/h she can inflict serious injuries to all in her way. Each dolphin has its own
personality. Puck likes to look up at me and rubs against my leg in order to say that she is ready for the fish. Kia
would like to enter the feeding program and swims between our legs looking hopeful. Their skin feels like a soft
warm rubber tube and their smile is full of potentially lethal stumpy teeth. They could bite quite painfully, if they had
a mind to.

After the feed we wait for the dolphins to return to the interaction area. They have to be out at least 10 minutes in
order to be able to suckle their calves. Tourists come to our window and ask for the next feeding time. I invariably tell
them it is on dolphin time. Some days they come in quite rapidly for all three feedings, some days they do not show
up at all again before lunch time. If they come we follow the same routine again if not, we start cleaning the feeding
utensils meticulously and with antiseptic, then wipe the decks and the display area, wash windows or go for a lovely