Marine mammal strandings create welfare emergencies requiring skilled response from trained responders while raising questions about treatment decisions for affected animals.
Marine mammal stranding welfare involves triage decisions about which animals can be rehabilitated and which require humane euthanasia to prevent prolonged suffering. Large whale strandings are often difficult or impossible to successfully manage - reflotation attempts without addressing the underlying cause frequently result in restrandings. The welfare of large stranded whales may be better served by immediate euthanasia than prolonged and often unsuccessful rescue attempts. Smaller cetaceans and seals have much higher rehabilitation success rates and can justify extended intensive care. Training and equipping stranding response teams appropriately - including with field euthanasia capacity - is essential for welfare-positive responses.