Mazzariol definitions

Question 1

Dead stranded cetacean

Answer 1

an animal lacking vital signs, which means without brain, respiratory and circulatory
function.

Question 2

Beached cetacean

Answer 2

this is another term sometimes used to define an animal found dead completely ashore.

Question 3

Live stranded cetacean

Answer 3

this term refers to a cetacean found alive, ashore or free-swimming in shallow waters
Live-stranded animals are usually in need of medical attention and are unable to return to their natural habitat without assistance

Question 4

Strandled cetacean

Answer 4

referring to an animal still in the water that is trapped, cannot cope or is outside of its
natural environment; these conditions suggest a perilous situation with a possible risk of stranding that may
demand preventive measures and highlight the quandary of whether and when to act..

Question 5

Entangled cetacean

Answer 5

when found entangled in fishing gear and this
condition impairs their swimming and diving abilities thereby compromising their feeding activities. Animals could be completely or partially entangled by nets.

Question 6

Unusual Mortality Event (UME)

Answer 6

unexpected mortality of cetaceans at an abnormally large scale compared to average stranding reports for the species involved in the event and the area and period considered

Question 7

Disease outbreak

Answer 7

• specific UME involving infectious agents
• may occur in a restricted geographical area, or may extend over an entire basin involving several countries.
• It may last for a few days or weeks, or for several years.

Question 8

Mass stranding

Answer 8

• these events involve two or more cetaceans (excluding cow/calf pairs) stranded at the same time and place
• Might be caused by: extreme weather conditions, tidal changes, disease of one or several group members, or human-related events.
• Some individuals involved in a mass stranding may be completely healthy.

Question 9

Atypical mass stranding

Answer 9

mass stranding related to sonar exposure in which animals do not strand all together as a single cluster but over a very short and defined time lap and within a confined space, both in association to the SONAR event.

Question 10

What are the 3 release categories?

Answer 10

• Releasable
• Conditionally releasable
• Non-releasable

Question 11

Releasable (release category)

Answer 11

• no significant concerns related to likelihood of survival in the wild and/or risk of introducing disease into the wild population.
• Animal meets basic historical, developmental, behavioral, ecological, and medical release criteria.

Question 12

Conditionally releasable (release category)

Answer 12

• concerns about the historical, developmental,
  behavioral, ecological, and/or medical status of the animal raising a question of survival or
  health risk to wild marine mammals.
• requirements for release cannot be currently met but may be met within 15 days without
  compromising the health and welfare of the individual animal. In such cases, more time may be needed to determine the feasibility of release (maximum 1 month)

Question 13

Non-releasable (release category)

Answer 13

• Significant historical, developmental, behavioral, ecological, and/or medical concerns regarding its release to the wild.
• Condition demonstrates little chance for survival in the wild and/or a diagnosed health risk to wild marine mammals.
• Also includes animals that have been in rehabilitation greater than 1 month.

Question 14

Cause of death

Answer 14

• disease, injury or abnormality that alone or in combination with other factors
  (environmental, other concurrent diseases, age, etc.) is responsible for initiating the sequence of functional
  disturbances that resulted in live stranding and death.

During this procedure the following may be further defined:
a) Immediate cause of death: final disease or condition resulting in death;

b)Underlying cause of death: the disease or injury that initiated the chain of morbid events that led directly and inevitably to death;

c) Contributing factors: other significant diseases, conditions, or injuries/impacts/influences that may have
contributed to death but which did not constitute an underlying cause of death.

Question 15

Mechanism of death

Answer 15

The immediate physiologic derangement resulting in death. A particular mechanism
of death can be produced by a variety of different causes of death

Question 16

Manner of death

Answer 16

How death came about; in the case of wildlife and, specifically, in cetaceans, we can
distinguish:
a) Natural, due mainly to natural disease or toxic processes;

b)Anthropic/anthropogenic, accidental like ship strikes, bycatch, or non-accidental due to a volitional act or direct killing;

c) Undetermined, inadequate information regarding the circumstances of death in order to determine the manner.

Question 17

Emaciation (NCC)

Answer 17

A serious, usually chronic and progressive condition characterized by
significant (>20%) body weight loss.

Question 18

Cachexia (NCC)

Answer 18

The termed used to describe the end stage of emaciation.