How stranding response networks operate, the welfare decisions involved in rescuing and releasing marine mammals, and the threats driving increased stranding rates.
Live-stranded marine mammals face immediate welfare challenges - beaching causes gravitational pressure on internal organs, dehydration, thermal stress, and the distress of an alien environment. Response teams must rapidly assess welfare status and make difficult triage decisions. For animals with serious injuries or disease, euthanasia is often the most humane option. For those with better prognoses, prolonged rehabilitation is resource-intensive but can return animals to the wild. The welfare of stranded animals must be balanced against the stress of captive rehabilitation itself.