Stranding network Flashcards
Dead stranded cetacean
Animal lacking vital signs, which means without brain, respiratory and circulatory
function.
Beached cetacean
Dead animal completely ashore
Live stranded cetacean
- Cetacean found alive, ashore or free swimming in shallow waters
- Usually in need of medical attention
- Unable to return to natural habitat without assistance
Strandled cetacean
- animal still in the water that is trapped, cannot cope or is outside of its
natural environment - possible risk of stranding that may
demand preventive measures
Entangled cetacean
- Cetacean found entangled in fishing gear
- This impairs their swimming and diving abilities and thereby their feeding activities
Unusual Mortality Event (UME)
- Unexpected mortality of cetaceans at an abnormally large scale for the species involved in the event and the area and period considered
- Immediate response is required, special investigations team may investigate causes of these events
Disease outbreak (UME)
- Specific UME involving infectious agent
- Occurrence of disease in stranded individuals in excess of what would normally be expected in a defined population, geographical area and/or season
Mass stranding (UME)
- these events involve two or more cetaceans (excluding cow/calf pairs) stranded at the same time and place.
- Possible causes: extreme weather conditions,
tidal changes, disease of one or several group members, or human-related events - Some individuals may be completely healthy
Atypical mass stranding
- Mass stranding related to sonar exposure
- Animals do not strand all together as a single cluster but over a very short and defined time lap and within a confined space
How can we determine if this stranded animal is calf or an adult?
- Fetal folders on the animal on the left
Why are pinnipeds the ‘perfect’ spillover species?
They are in contact with the terrestrial and marine environment
What are the main characteristics of a functional stranding network?
- Knowledge of an international/ national/ regional legal framework
- Guidelines for the different situations
- Definitions: glossary, objectives and aims, roles
- Skills and expertise: governmental bodies appointed for animal health and conservation, authorities, police bodies, biologists and veterinarians (pathologists and clinicians)
- Local experts/focal points, regional networks connected with a national coordination group
- Database, Museums and Tissue bank (CITES); 1 emergency task force
- Procedures for: necropsies, alive animals, rehabilitation/release, UMEs and environmental emergencies
- Training and list of authorized personnel
ACCOBAMS stranding guidelines
▪ Cooperation between national networks of cetacean strandings and the creation of a database
▪ Guidelines for the establishment of a system of Tissue Banks within the ACCOBAMS Area and Ethical Code
▪ Guidelines on the release of cetaceans in the wild
▪ Cetacean live stranding
▪ Guidelines for a coordinated cetacean stranding response
▪ Cetacean live strandings
▪ Best practices in monitoring and management of cetacean strandings
What are the key points of managing a stranding events?
— Critical points:
- different weather conditions
- work together with many different people
- spread event (when mass stranding)
- carcass movement
- carcass disposal
- Personnel safety (biological and physical risk)
- Biological risk (see picture)
- alive animal? –> Release or rehabilitate?
Which bacteria form a biological risk?
- Toxoplasma gondii: not a problem cause humans don’t eat the animal infected with this parasite
- Brucella sp: problem
- Vibrio, Salmonella, Clostridium: problem when not wearing a mask during dissection.
- In general, take care of your hands.
What happens when a sperm whale digests squid?
- Stone forming in stomach
- Stone is worth a lot money
What are different methods used for euthanasia?
- Drugs:
o Etorphine chloride: 1 single drop on the human eye can kill you
o Pentobarbital
o Midazolam - Firearm (SWED): Sperm whale euthanasia device (SWED)
- Natural death
(In Portugal: all striped dolphins euthanized because they spread diseases. The money they save with trying to save the dolphins, is being put into conservation efforts)
Examples of functional stranding network stakeholders
- Sea shepherd
- Pro Natura
- The Black fish
Role of coast guard in relation to strandings?
- Saving and protecting animals.
- But only when the animal is still in the sea.
Name of stranding reports database in Italy
MSNM
Basic data that needs to be collected and documented during a cetacean stranding
Basic field equipment to perform a necropsy of a stranded animal
Strandings database of ACCOBAMS
Medaces (for strandings in the Mediterranean)
Name of cetaceans strandings diseases database
REDACE
What is the international Environmental Specimen Bank group
- Tissue bank
- Stores tissues forever
Meaning of ‘Triage’ (Google)
Preliminary assessment of patients or casualties in order to determine the urgency of their need for treatment and the nature of treatment required
Triage in relation to strandings
Before intervention, take in consideration factors related to:
-Equipment availability
-Environmental condition
-Stranding events
-Species and number of animals
-Ethical, economical and legal issues
Triage system release categories in England vs US
- England: 2 options: alive or euthanasia
- US: 3 options: alive, euthanasia or aquaria.
3 release categories
- Releasable
- Conditonally releasable
- Non - releasable
Releasable (Release categories)
- No significant concerns related to likelihood of survival in the wild and/or risk of introducing disease into the wild population.
- Also, the animal meets basic
historical, developmental, behavioral, ecological, and medical release criteria.
Conditionally releasable (Release categories)
- 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.
- If requirements for release cannot be 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)
Non releasable (Release categories)
Significant historical, developmental, behavioral, ecological, and/or medical concerns regarding its release to the wild.
Steps in stranding response
Stranding response:
1. Movement, transportation and disposal of carcasses
2. Teams organization and logistic
3. Thinking of food and beverages and resting times
4. General public and security perimeter
First step of stranding response (Movement, transportation and disposal of carcasses), what to do?
- Receiving report of whale’s carcass at sea
- Confirm the report
- Consider options (i.e. leaving at sea, sinking, landing, disposing)
- Non intervention - monitoring
- Intervention - sinking vs landing
- Movement
- Post-mortem investigations (PMI)
- Disposal
Sinking (Whale Falls)
