Live Cetacean Stranding’s

Reducing the need for euthanasia by decreasing response rescue times and improving rehabilitation schemes

Abstract

Live cetacean stranding’s occur around the world and it is when a cetacean becomes stranded on a beach. The reasonings behind stranding’s still holds some mystery to this day, however, there are many theories. The main issue is what happens to the animal when it gets stranded and why many cases end up with the cetacean being euthanized. The aim of this paper is to look at methods that can be implemented to improve rescue and rehabilitation of cetacean stranding’s by looking at the UK’s policy and comparing it with Portugal who have improved the survival rate for stranded cetaceans. In order to increase survival rates, rescue times must be quick and to implement effective rehabilitation schemes. Floating the cetacean back into the water is not always effective, especially if the animal is sick. Rehabilitation enables zoos, universities, and local communities to all aid the animal back to health while exploring the reasoning behind the stranding’s. The future of this issue is to prevent cetacean stranding’s which require the involvement of universities and science programmes to enhance this idea. The issue is a global one, which means the conversation must extend beyond states borders and allow parties to investigate the issue, while applying the results at a regional level.

Cetacean Stranding

Cetaceans become stranded when they swim into shallow water and once the tide goes out, they are left stranded on the beach. The scientific term is cetacean stranding, but many people refer to it as beaching. This means that beaching occurs in the maritime zones of a state’s territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone. There are a few theories suggested by scientists explaining why beaching occurs. For example, stranding’s can occur naturally through navigational or hunting mistakes and due to human activity. Stranding’s can occur through storms and bad weather, and some scientists have argued that solar storms affect the earth’s magnetic field which whales use for navigation. Navigational errors seem to be the main reason for mass stranding’s, as one whale leads the rest will follow. A whale may also become stranded from old age or sickness as they do not have the strength to swim and fight the force of the tide. Some whales, such as killer whales, have been known to intentionally beach themselves to hunt, as their food source is located on the shoreline. Human activity contributes to stranding’s, for example, hunting a whale can result in beaching as it distracts the whale from its course. There has also been a link between underwater noises caused by boats, submarines, and ocean floor activity which results in cetacean becoming beached, as the noises can interact with the frequency used by whales to find food and communicate. Fishing is an issue as cetaceans can become injured through bycatch or through ship collisions resulting in them becoming stranded. There are still a lot of unanswered questions relating to cetacean stranding’s, which means the problem is still under investigation.

The issues arising from beaching

The extent to which human activity can impact or result in cetacean stranding’s is undetermined, as a result it is hard to hold people accountable or reduce the strain on the whale population. Therefore, one of the issues is the unknown and the need for more research. The whale population has been exploited by human activity directly throughout history and implementing a policy to aid the circumstances in which whales may become beached is necessary in maintaining the population. The largest stranding of whales occurred in New Zealand where one thousand whales became beached. This is the largest documented beaching in history which means others could have occurred in history but were not documented. Monitoring the cetacean population is important as the results can predict behaviour and reasons as to why a beaching occurred, it could also prevent mass beaching by monitoring the location and ensuring they do not get too close to the shoreline. Beaching is an issue because the whale will suffer and die slowly. Many bystanders will intervene and try and drag the cetacean back into the water, this puts both the public and the animal’s welfare at risk as the cetacean may not be strong enough to go back to the ocean. When beaching occurs, the whale gets trapped by the lack of water which leads to dehydration. The lack of water means that the whale will crush their internal organs with their own body weight. This means that when the tide does eventually come in, the whale can drown from the water flooding over the whale’s blowhole. When a stranding occurs the rescue has to be fast, because if the animal is fit enough to return to the ocean then it will need to happen while they still have their health and energy. The longer the cetacean is left stranded the lower the rate of survival if put back into the ocean. Therefore, it is understandable why many scientists and veterinarians agree that the best course of action is euthanasia to ensure the animals welfare is protected. Euthanasia is not popular if it gets into the media, however, ensuring the animal does not suffer is the main concern for veterinarians and local authorities.

Whales can live for many years, for example, a bowhead whale can live up to two-hundred years old, whereas, a dwarf sperm whales average life expectancy can be around twenty-years old. The average age of a whale is dependent on whether the whale survives to adulthood, which means the first six months is crucial to determine the life expectancy of the whale. The research undertaken on the relationship between mother whales and their calves indicates that whales are very social beings and depend on one another, which is evident in the change of behaviour in foraging for food by mother whales. This is because a calf can be made more vulnerable when left alone which means the mother alters her foraging patterns to reduce this risk. Therefore, when mother and calf whales are stranded together, sometimes both are euthanized as it is unlikely the calf could survive without the mother. Euthanasia is supposed to ensure that the whales feel as little pain as possible in the event of a stranding, because survival rates are low. Euthanasia will vary for different species, as small cetaceans can be attended by veterinarians. Larger whales require more care with euthanasia and many states dispose of the whale using explosives. However, many stranding’s have resulted in a safe return to sea without reoccurring stranding’s. Therefore, the need for more research is needed to produce a strategy or checklist that must be carried out before euthanasia is a viable option. Policy around whale stranding must be developed to ensure stranded whales are protected and returned to the sea if deemed viable and safe by relevant authorities.

Current policies linked to whale stranding’s

The Cetacean Stranding’s Investigation Programme (CSIP) reported that there was an increase in cetacean stranding in the UK by fifteen percent. Monitoring stranding’s ensures that the number of stranding’s can be accumulated to map out areas in need of rescue and rehabilitation schemes. Maintaining this information collected by CSIP is important as it can indicate the reasons why stranding’s occur and how to reduce them. This will ensure that future stranding’s can be prevented through post-mortem exams. The CSIP works with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to document and study cetacean samples to understand why the death occurred. Figure one illustrates the number of stranding’s occurring in different parts of the UK and the most common species to beach. Insight into the cause of death can extend the knowledge as to how to prevent stranding’s. For example, a post-mortem of a mass whale beaching in the Canary Islands identified that naval activity was the cause of the stranding, as it affected the sonar activity leading to decompression sickness in the beaked whales. This led to the ban of naval activity in the area ensuring further mass stranding’s would not occur. This emphasises the significance of areas sharing information related to stranding’s and the importance of the stakeholders involved. UK information on stranding’s is shared with ZSL, universities, research programmes, local authorities, and museums. The Natural History Museum contains historic records of stranding’s and the CSIP information are made public. Stranding’s can be reported by local people and fishermen and can still be reported to the Museum. The local authorities, including the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) who are part of the Marine Animal Rescue Coalition (MARC) respond to all stranding’s in the UK with medically trained personnel.

Cetaceans found in the territory of the UK belong to the Crown, which means that they are classed as royal fish and are protected. This means that cetaceans stranding’s have to be reported to the Receiver of Wreck who informs the Natural History Museum and the local authorities. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 along with the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 protect live cetaceans who strand and are at risk from human activities. The regulations make it an offence to deliberately cause harm to the animal resulting in its death. Once the animal has been approached by local authorities the Protection of Animals Act 1911 will further protect the animal as it will be classed as captive and authorities must ensure the animals welfare is safeguarded. The best interest of the animal may be to reduce its suffering through euthanasia. The Cetacean research and rescue unit sets out the steps that need to be taken when a stranding occurs. If the stranding involved a live animal then there is a twenty-four-hour hotline, one for the UK, Scotland, and Ireland, where details of the location and the animal need to be given as this will aid the rescuers. A report can be given to the local police as they can pass the information on to the relevant authorities. The main advice given is to alert the relevant authorities and to not put yourself at risk. However, many bystanders may struggle to watch an animal suffer, but trying to help without the proper knowledge will result in further distress to the animal. Therefore, the guidance states to alert other members of the public who may have dogs that could harass the animal. The public are warned not to try and put the animal back into the water and to avoid the mouth and tail area. The public can pour water on the animal while ensuring non gets into the blowhole. If the animal is on its back, then flip the animal if it is possible to do. The overall advice is to avoid contact with the animal to ensure the safety of the public.

Why is protection important?

Cetacean stranding’s have occurred throughout history and will not result in extinction of the species; however, the events can be devastating, and we are morally obliged to respond. Mass stranding’s can negatively affect the species population in the area, and the loss of life can be negated by quick responses from local authorities. The moral obligation to protect cetaceans is important as many of the issues they face are due to human activity, therefore, the human population has a moral duty to protect the species. The extent to which human activity contributes to beaching is unknown, however, acts like hunting, fishing, ship collisions and polluting the seas have made the species of the oceans vulnerable. The World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) sets out the importance cetaceans hold in the health of the marine environment. The WCA describes cetaceans as ‘ecosystem engineers’ as they build the environment around them which ultimately results in a biodiverse area. The presence of cetaceans affects the fish stocks and the whole area in which they live as they can dive down to forage food and recirculate the nutrients to the surface of the water. However, migratory species require international protection as they travel through the world’s oceans. The cetacean population affects the area’s economy, as whale and dolphin watching has increased and many businesses are built from the tourism this brings. It would also be a deterrent for tourists if they witness stranding with no aid provided to the animal, as this is distressing and inhumane. The health of the oceans is essential for some areas as the main food source and export is fish, and the health of the ocean is dependent on the cetacean population. Along with whales reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere throughout their lifetimes, once a whale dies it sinks to the ocean floor and stores carbon preventing it from reaching the atmosphere. This is another reason why a natural death at sea is better for the environment instead of a death from stranding.

Solutions

Euthanasia is used because rescuers do not get to stranded cetaceans in time. The crushing to the body by the lack of water is irreversible, and scientists predict that whales cannot be stranded for more than an hour as the damage will be too extensive. Therefore, the main solution would be to focus research on prevention. There have been studies into using recorded distress calls close to the shoreline to deter whales getting too close. There have also been studies investigating the use of releasing air bubbles to act as a wall preventing cetaceans from passing. Preventing stranding’s will require more research and understanding about the causes of beaching and how to prevent them. International cooperation is essential as sharing studies will inform the world what theories are working. Monitoring cetaceans is also important on a global scale as it manages the cetacean population and can alert local areas if they get too close to the beach. Therefore, promoting research and monitoring of the cetacean’s population internationally is essential and can ensure cetacean pathways are not interfered by ships. Along with building an international community creating a forum for discussion and guidelines for emergency stranding’s, programmes must also be focused on the local regions. International guidelines will help create an international standard of protection for marine welfare when stranded, however, for effective enforcement the strategies may need to be altered to suit the local area. For example, monitoring the local areas will illustrate how often stranding’s occur and emphasise problem areas that need to be focused on. It will also show the cetaceans most likely to strand themselves in the area and what to do if they are found by the public. Educating the public and local fisherman on the types of cetaceans in the area and what to do if a stranding occurs will decrease the time taken for a rescue to initiate. It will also ensure fisherman are more active in their protection and to be more aware while out at sea. If a stranding does occur, then a fast response is the difference between a rescue and a euthanasia outcome. However, the UK’s response teams are usually volunteers and the CSIP are not involved in responding to live stranding’s. Portugal is a good example as to how countries and local areas should be acting in response to stranding’s. Portugal has legislation ensuring that rescue operations are undertaken in the region’s territorial sea and exclusive economic zone as a mandatory requirement. Rehabilitation occurred through the collaboration of universities, zoos, and marine mammal facilities to ensure effective rehabilitation. The zoos rehabilitation centre was built with the focus on marine mammal rehabilitation and the best interest of the marine animals. Therefore, rescue and rehabilitation of marine mammals improved significantly due to the implementation of effective workers and policy enforcement in Portugal. The focus on rehabilitation is the main improvement as many rescues lead to further beach stranding’s with the cetacean in a worse condition. Rehabilitation will ensure that the cetacean is in the best condition and increase the rate of survival for the cetacean. The inclusion of many stakeholders ensures that scientific research can be undertaken while the rehabilitation of the animals occur.

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