Wildlife

Wild Animal Welfare and Marine Mammal Strandings

Marine mammal strandings occur for many reasons including disease, injury, and disorientation, with welfare during response being a critical consideration.

Key Facts

Over 2,000 cetaceans strand annually on UK coastlines
Mass strandings may be triggered by naval sonar, disease, or following ill pod members
Welfare during stranding response includes minimising stress and pain
Not all stranded animals can or should be refloated - individual assessment is essential
Coordinated stranding networks exist in most developed countries to provide expert response

Welfare Considerations

Stranded marine mammals experience significant distress. Coordinated, expert response minimises suffering and maximises welfare outcomes for individual animals.

What You Can Do

Report marine mammal strandings to your national response network immediately
Do not attempt to push stranded animals back to sea without expert guidance
Support marine mammal welfare and stranding response organisations