Mass strandings of whales and dolphins cause acute suffering and pose difficult welfare dilemmas about when to attempt rescue versus humane euthanasia.
Stranded cetaceans experience acute distress from overheating, pressure on organs from body weight, dehydration, and respiratory stress. Mass stranding responses require rapid decisions about which individuals can be saved without causing further suffering. Euthanasia of severely compromised animals, though difficult, is often the most welfare-positive intervention available.