Stranded whales, dolphins, and porpoises suffer from dehydration, pressure injuries, and thermal stress. Rapid, expert response is critical to welfare outcomes for live stranded cetaceans.
Stranded cetaceans suffer from the moment they leave the water, and every hour without appropriate intervention increases suffering and reduces survival probability. Welfare-focused stranding response encompasses the full spectrum: rapid attendance to reduce dehydration and thermal stress; skilled assessment of prognosis; prompt refloating of viable animals; and humane euthanasia for animals whose suffering cannot be adequately relieved and whose survival probability is negligible. The latter decision is often delayed because of public and media pressure to "save" every animal — but prolonged suffering in a non-viable stranded whale is a welfare failure, not a welfare success.