Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our new paper: Boys, R.M.; Beausoleil, N.J.; Betty, E.L.; Stockin, K.A. Deathly Silent: Exploring the Global Lack of Data Relating to Stranded Cetacean Euthanasia. Animals 2021, 11, 1460. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051460 The paper is open access and is available for download here: https://www.mdpi.com/1116248 Abstract: The compromised state of stranded cetaceans means that euthanasia is often required. However, current knowledge and implementation of euthanasia methods remain highly variable, with limited data on the practicalities and welfare impacts of procedures. This study evaluated the available published data on cetacean euthanasia, highlighting knowledge gaps and providing direction to improve stranded cetacean welfare. A total of 2147 peer-reviewed articles describing marine mammal euthanasia were examined. Of these 3.1% provided details on the method used, with 91% employing chemical methods. Two countries, the United Kingdom (UK) and New Zealand (NZ), provided euthanasia reports to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) between 2007 and 2020. Methods employed were reported for 78.3% and 100% of individual cetaceans euthanised in the UK and NZ, respectively. In the UK, chemical euthanasia was most common (52%), whilst in NZ only ballistics methods were used. Few data were available about time to death/insensibility (TTD); 0.5% of peer-reviewed articles provided TTD, whilst TTD was reported for 35% of individuals in the UK and for 98% in NZ. However, IWC reports lacked detail on how death/insensibility were assessed, with multiple individuals “presumed instantly” killed. Overall, the findings highlight the lack of available information on cetacean euthanasia, and suggest increased data collection and the application of appropriate methods to improve welfare. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions (r.boys@massey.ac.nz) Thank you, Rebecca Boys ------------------------------------------------------------- Rebecca M Boys Marine Biologist PhD Student Cetacean Ecology Research Group School of Natural and Computational Sciences Massey University Auckland New Zealand [cid:d28e07e9-72b3-4b23-b082-1f34668f3d8b]<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebecca_Boys> [cid:59deb976-c2e3-4ae0-a2ee-d53e44dc9963] <https://scholar.google.co.nz/citations?hl=en&user=7rHpOpMAAAAJ> [cid:6f65bb32-4b39-4c4a-9a9b-da71f90170d5] <https://twitter.com/RebeccaMBoys> [cid:ea37ddd6-b63b-4538-aa42-60075a137b51] <https://www.facebook.com/CetaceanEcologyOrg/?__xts__[0]=68.ARBKlWSLR-YC7KHNrW51KXYC8RqNWn5mtIpZGlhILsMi73gubXw7i0iNq-bMfLim8n7PnUX74GpGPXJqVJBIxqdfqVAvHxEd2En0qyW6mKYd9Q30p8kEFIBWKPFgrh4uEh6ISXy5ihiNbt8H1yEWprZQN4kZDRW8gPSk6TMiyNoF-uJ0o1uPoosrGMKBKGD8sc4K3SJPD2e-mWqDxZOc_aY670ngZVZm6YlpZzvKj_r_vh_aHHeSQuS7lgktu6h7HwKL_pEGombnfjc6z3ekwEF4Szn9mLA-y643tiUxNSQiFyiDyOzrVFqnT34Ctus2d0A9GXJMVBvnw7lCKoNnEq4kbA> [cid:f1d84c2a-e2d7-40eb-8f9f-03cd3e88cb64] <https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/explore/research/animal-veterinary/animal/marine/marine_home.cfm> [cid:72a27a4f-950a-4428-bc8b-e90f8907d0bd] www.cetaceanecology.org/<https://www.cetaceanecology.org/> Australia and New Zealand Student Chapter SMM Committee member European Cetacean Society National Contact Person for New Zealand
