Cetacean Strandings: Response and Welfare

When whales and dolphins strand on beaches, the welfare stakes are acute. Understanding how to respond — and what causes strandings — helps reduce animal suffering and improve survival rates.

Key Facts

Thousands of cetacean strandings occur globally each year, from single animals to mass events of hundreds
Common causes include illness and injury, navigational errors in shallow coastal waters, human activities including sonar and entanglement, and social bonding with a sick leader
Survival rates for stranded cetaceans depend heavily on rapid expert response and the animals condition on discovery
Returning a live stranded cetacean to sea without addressing the underlying cause often results in re-stranding
Mass strandings of pilot whales are particularly common in New Zealand, Australia, and the Cape Cod area

Welfare Considerations

A stranded cetacean is in acute welfare crisis — experiencing pain, dehydration, respiratory distress, and physical trauma from its own weight on land. First response by untrained bystanders, while well-intentioned, can cause harm through incorrect positioning, overheating, or premature return to sea. Welfare-optimized response involves trained specialists, appropriate equipment, and evidence-based decisions about treatment versus euthanasia for animals with poor prognosis.

What You Can Do

Know your local marine mammal stranding network number and call immediately if you find a stranded animal
Never push a stranded whale or dolphin back into the water without expert guidance
Keep bystanders back to minimize stress to the animal
Pour seawater over a stranded cetacean to keep it cool and moist while awaiting experts
Support your regional marine mammal stranding network through donations or volunteer training