Identification of potential welfare and survival indicators for stranded cetaceans through international, interdisciplinary expert opinion

Boys, Rebecca M.; Beausoleil, Ngaio J.; Pawley, Matthew D. M.; Littlewood, Katherine E; Betty, Emma L.; Stockin, Karen A.

doi:10.1098/rsos.220646

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 101 publications

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“…While such wounds have minimal impact on survival (Sampson et al, 2012), they may cause some discomfort or pain (Boys et al, 2022b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This likely explains the superficial abrasions on the tail fluke, dorsal fin, and rostrum (health; Domain 3). While such wounds have minimal impact on survival (Sampson et al, 2012), they may cause some discomfort or pain (Boys et al, 2022b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prior to euthanasia, we collected data from the two restranded animals on a number of indicators reported to be valuable for understanding stranded cetacean welfare state and to be practically measurable from video footage (Boys et al, 2022b,c). As in the previous study, indicators were selected to represent multiple dimensions of animal welfare, as described by the Five Domains Model for animal welfare assessment (Mellor et al, 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The international experts highlighted various animal and resource−/management‐based indicators as valuable for assessing welfare (Boys et al, 2022b). A variety of these indicators, including animal body condition, respiration rate, body posture, behavior, and human intervention types, were found to be feasible to assess from video taken at live stranding events of long‐finned pilot whales ( Globicephala melas edwardii ) (Boys et al, 2022c).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here we apply the recently gained knowledge on welfare assessments for live stranded cetaceans (Boys et al, 2022a,b) to a live stranding event of pygmy killer whales ( Feresa attenuata ). Specifically, we aim to describe the physical state, behavior, and conditions of live stranded pygmy killer whales to make preliminary inferences about their welfare state, using a holistic system developed for another odontocete species (Boys et al, 2022c).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing animal welfare during a stranding of pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata)

Boys

Beausoleil

Hunter

et al. 2023

Marine Mammal Science

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Empirical assessment of cetacean welfare to inform stranding interventions is lacking. Here, potential welfare indicators are described for two stranded pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata), along with euthanasia procedures and pathology of potential relevance. The animals were filmed for 3.5 and 1.5 hr, respectively, allowing assessment of 19 indicators, including animal behaviors and human interventions. Eight interventions and 19 animal behaviors were identified; 17 and 11 behaviors were displayed by animal 1 and 2, respectively. Examination of ballistics euthanasia revealed atypical projectile placement and characterized animal behavioral responses, but welfare implications could not be assessed as insensibility was not verified in‐field. Pulmonary edema and renal degeneration were documented in both animals; differential etiologies include ischemia–reperfusion, shock, and/or myopathy. Potential relationships among histopathology and welfare indicators are explored to infer affective experiences. For example, simultaneous head‐lifting with respiration increased over time which, alongside pulmonary edema, suggests these animals experienced breathlessness. Other likely affective states include fatigue and discomfort; there are insufficient data to estimate the intensity or duration of these experiences or to provide an overall welfare grade/score. Further data are required to validate the proposed welfare indicators and to progress development of holistic approaches to welfare assessment at cetacean strandings.

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“…While such wounds have minimal impact on survival (Sampson et al, 2012), they may cause some discomfort or pain (Boys et al, 2022b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Assessing animal welfare during a stranding of pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata)

Boys

Beausoleil

Hunter

et al. 2023

Marine Mammal Science

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Selection of parameters to assess the welfare of free‐ranging Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins using expert opinion survey

Serres,

Platto,

2024

Aquatic Conservation

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Animal welfare assessments have recently been suggested to be useful for free‐ranging animals. Nevertheless, few standardized welfare assessment frameworks have been built for wildlife, including cetaceans. Coastal cetaceans like Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis, IPHDs) that form resident populations impacted by a wide range of human activities are subject to reliable photo‐identification efforts and thus represent perfect candidates for welfare monitoring. Parameters that may inform us on some aspects of the welfare of free‐ranging IPHDs were selected through literature review. A panel survey including three consecutive rounds was then conducted to collect the opinion of selected experts on these parameters. The survey allowed the validation of a list containing 31 parameters that provide information on the welfare of IPHDs. The opinion of experts also allowed to set the modalities of the data collection required to measure/observe these parameters. After establishing a consistent scoring method and testing it on existing data, this standardized framework will allow for obtaining a wide picture of the living conditions of IPHDs. Variations across time periods, among dolphin populations and locations, or following major environmental changes (e.g., conservation measures or human disturbances) could then be analysed. Added to traditional conservation approaches, standardized welfare monitoring will greatly participate in the conservation of these animals.

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The First Standardized Scoring System to Assess the Welfare of Free‐Ranging Indo‐Pacific Humpback Dolphins (Sousa chinensis)

Serres,

Boys,

Beausoleil

et al. 2024

Aquatic Conservation

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The assessment of wild animal welfare has recently gained interest and represents a novel, complementary approach to monitoring free‐ranging populations for conservation purposes. However, few attempts have been made to develop standardized welfare assessment tools for free‐ranging animals. In the present study, a preliminary scoring system for the welfare assessment of Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins (IPHDs) was created using the Five Domains Model. During a series of online meetings, the panel established the scoring unit, the contribution of each parameter to the four physical/functional domains, the inferred mental states and impact intensity associated with each of these parameters, and the method of aggregating parameter scores within and among domains. The resulting framework includes a total of 53 parameter scores. A total of 20 welfare‐status and 33 welfare‐alerting parameters were identified; these are aggregated into two overall welfare grades for enhancement (positive experiences) and compromise (negative experiences). The panel attributed confidence scores to the intensity impact reflected by each parameter and associated mental states. As expected, these scores reflect higher confidence in welfare‐status than welfare‐alerting parameters; welfare compromise was also attributed higher confidence than welfare enhancement and Domain 1 (Nutrition) globally received higher confidence scores than other domains. As with any expert elicitation study, subjective biases likely exist; these can be reduced through further research on the suggested parameters. The framework uses current knowledge and has been developed to enable continual improvement as further evidence becomes available on various parameters. This study represents an important step in the development of a welfare assessment tool (WAT) for IPHDs. Next steps include defining measurement methods and thresholds for scoring parameter intensities, followed by reliability testing. This WAT can then be used to systematically monitor populations of IPHDs in a way that will better inform conservation measures and ensure their effectiveness.

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Identification of potential welfare and survival indicators for stranded cetaceans through international, interdisciplinary expert opinion

Cited by 6 publications

References 101 publications

Assessing animal welfare during a stranding of pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata)

Assessing animal welfare during a stranding of pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata)

Selection of parameters to assess the welfare of free‐ranging Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins using expert opinion survey

The First Standardized Scoring System to Assess the Welfare of Free‐Ranging Indo‐Pacific Humpback Dolphins (Sousa chinensis)

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