Dear all,
Following the many tens of e-mails that we received, we would like
to express our gratitude for your interest and support and answer
some of your questions with an update, now that more data are
available.
The atypical mass stranding spanned 2 days (1st and 2nd April ) and
involved five single stranding events involving 3, 2, 1, 1 and 1
individuals. According to the analysis conducted so far, a minimum
of five (but analysis is on going) and a maximum of seven
individuals were recorded (two single standing events concerned the
same individual and the two individuals of another event cannot be
identified).
The distance between the western and eastern stranding locations for
the strandings of the 1st April was 16.5 km in straight line. The
single stranding of the 2nd of April occurred 4.1 km further west of
the western stranding location of the 1st of April.
(While writing this message and according to preliminary
information from the local port-police authorities, three more
reports of three different stranding events became available. They
occurred the 3rd or 4th, the 5th and 6th April and all involved
single animals. The two first concerned live animals re-floated
and the last one (today 6th April) a dead animal still being on
the beach. All of them occurred at a distance of less than 1 km
between each other and took place in a location about 48 km west
of the stranding event of the 2nd of April. These news are very
important and indicate that the impact of the exercise may concern
a very large sea area.)
Two of the stranded whales died (all others were re-floated and not
seen so far) and necropsies were performed on both of them (the
whale that was disposed according to our first message was
recovered). The necropsies were conducted under the guidance of Dr.
Anastasia Komnenou, Veterinary School of Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki. Please address any questions regarding the necropsies
and the histopathological findings directly to her.
At least one of the photos of the stranding event is amazing and can
greatly contribute to the conservation of beaked whales. Therefore,
we thought that sharing it with the entire cetological community can
help our common goal to protect the beaked whales from navy sonar
and anthropogenic sound in general. Please feel free to upload and
distribute the photo as attached to raise public awareness or for
educational purposes (you have no right of use for commercial
purposes).
All best,
Alexandros
--
___________________________________________
Dr. Alexandros Frantzis
Scientific director
Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute
Terpsichoris 21
16671 Vouliagmeni,
GREECE
Tel.: +30-210-8960108
e-mail: afrantzis@otenet.gr
website: http://www.pelagosinstitute.gr
___________________________________________
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