Yucatán Officials Train Celestún Students in Marine Mammal Stranding Response

Celestún, Mexico — Yucatán’s Sustainable Development Department trained 131 high school students in Celestún this week on how to respond to stranded marine mammals, aiming to promote environmental awareness and responsible action along the coast.

The workshop, titled “Methods for Handling Marine Mammal Strandings,” was held at the Colegio de Bachilleres del Estado de Yucatán (Cobay) distance learning campus in Celestún. Officials said coastal communities are often the first to encounter stranded animals, making basic knowledge crucial for timely reporting and reducing risks.

Jorge Armando Novelo López, head of the department’s Environmental Conservation Division, led the session. He explained that marine mammals in Yucatán’s coastal waters play a key role in the food chain and marine ecosystem balance.

“Coastal communities are usually the first to have contact with these organisms when a stranding occurs, so having basic knowledge can make a difference,” Novelo López said.

The training covered how to identify a stranding and what steps to take, emphasizing that people should not intervene without specialized training and should promptly report incidents to authorities or relevant response networks.

Novelo López noted that while many people want to help, doing so without correct information can pose risks to both the animal and the person attempting assistance. The workshop aimed to clarify what to do and what to avoid in an emergency, prioritizing the safety and well-being of the marine mammal.

Students also participated in a creative activity, making posters to reinforce the conservation message and responsible action based on what they learned.