Low-Residue Euthanasia of Stranded Mysticetes

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Euthanasia of stranded large whales poses logistic, safety, pharmaceutical, delivery, public relations, and disposal challenges. Reasonable arguments may be made for allowing a stranded whale to expire naturally. However, slow cardiovascular collapse from gravitational effects outside of neutral buoyancy, often combined with severely debilitating conditions, motivate humane efforts to end the animal's suffering. The size of the animal and prevailing environmental conditions often pose safety concerns for stranding personnel, which take priority over other considerations. When considering chemical euthanasia, the size of the animal also necessitates large quantities of euthanasia agents. Drug residues are a concern for relay toxicity to scavengers, particularly for pentobarbital-containing euthanasia solutions. Pentobarbital is also an environmental concern because of its stability and long persistence in aquatic environments. We describe a euthanasia technique for stranded mysticetes using readily available, relatively inexpensive, preanesthetic and anesthetic drugs (midazolam, acepromazine, xylazine) followed by saturated KCl delivered via custom-made needles and a low-cost, basic, pressurized canister. This method provides effective euthanasia while moderating personnel exposure to hazardous situations and minimizing drug residues of concern for relay toxicity.

Fecal glucocorticoids and anthropogenic injury and mortality in North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis

“…It was also higher than cortisol levels reported in most cetaceans subjected to capture stress, although methodological differences may invalidate direct comparisons (Thomson & Geraci 1986, Orlov et al 1991, St. Aubin et al 1996, Suzuki et al 1998, Kjeld 2001, Schmitt et al 2010, Fair et al 2014, Hart et al 2015. Stranded whales experience gradual respiratory and cardiovascular collapse (without their neutral buoyancy in seawater), along with blistered skin, hyperthermia, and being scavenged on while alive (by gulls in this case), resulting in severe distress (Harms et al 2014). Fecal GCs were elevated by several orders of magnitude in NARW no.…”

“…3710, a juvenile male, was beached alive for at least 3 d on a sandbar offshore of Cape Lookout, North Carolina (Harms et al 2014). This stranding was considered to be secondary to a severe vertebral deformity (caudal scoliosis) caused by a previous fishing gear entanglement.…”

“…This stranding was considered to be secondary to a severe vertebral deformity (caudal scoliosis) caused by a previous fishing gear entanglement. Prior to euthanasia of this whale, a blood sample was collected from the fluke vessels via a dorsal approach (Harms et al 2014) into a serum-separator tube (BD Vacutainer SST™, Becton, Dickinson and Company), and a fecal sample was collected from the colon. The blood sample was kept cool during transport to the laboratory, where it was centrifuged to harvest serum 3.5 h after collection.…”

AJVR Instructions for Authors

“…Saturated potassium chloride solutions can be mixed inexpensively in large volumes and can be administered IV or intracardially, with a low risk of secondary toxicity for scavengers when preferred methods of disposal of the remains (eg, deep burial, rendering) are not available. 381,382,407…”

“…Anesthetics that can be used alone or in combination include tiletamine-zolazepam, ketamine, xylazine, meperidine, fentanyl, midazolam, diazepam, butorphanol, acepromazine, barbiturates, and etorphine. 381,382,395,396 Intramuscular administration of anesthetics may be required to achieve restraint of conscious animals before personnel can safely perform euthanasia using injectable agents by an intravascular route. A clear understanding of species anatomy and use of sufficiently long needles are required to ensure that muscle, rather than fat, is the site of injection.…”