Cetacean strandings cause acute individual suffering, and the welfare of both live-stranded animals and those that cannot be saved requires specialized intervention and ethical decision-making.
Cetacean stranding response involves some of the most ethically complex welfare decisions in wildlife management. A stranded dolphin or whale is in immediate distress: body weight unsupported by water compresses internal organs; desiccation of skin causes pain; thermoregulation fails rapidly in air. First responders must rapidly assess viability — the probability that the animal can be successfully treated and released — against the certainty of ongoing suffering during any intervention. For many large whales, the viability assessment is grim: the logistics of treatment and transport are extreme, survival rates after successful refloating are low, and the suffering involved in extended intervention may exceed any welfare benefit. Humane euthanasia using injectable agents is the most welfare-appropriate outcome for non-viable animals, but requires veterinary authorization and trained personnel. Stranding network volunteers are the primary responders and their training in welfare assessment is as important as their logistics capacity.