Whale and dolphin strandings represent welfare emergencies requiring rapid response, but ethical decisions about refloating versus euthanasia require honest assessment of individual animal welfare prospects.
Stranded cetaceans experience severe welfare compromise from multiple stressors: dehydration, sunburn, compression injuries from body weight on land, and the physiological stress of circulatory changes. Many stranded animals have underlying illness that caused the stranding and face poor prognosis for survival even with intervention. Welfare-centered response includes honest assessment of whether intervention serves the animal or prolongs suffering.