Dear MARMAMers, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our recent publication 'Ethological and procedural assessment of ballistics euthanasia for stranded cetaceans' in Applied Animal Behaviour Science. The paper is fully open access and can be downloaded here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106537 Abstract Euthanasia may be necessary at cetacean stranding events to end suffering. To ensure a humane death, verification of unconsciousness must be undertaken following application of the killing method. However, only limited information is reported on individual euthanasia events, including how unconsciousness and/or death is assessed. Here, we describe current practices for euthanising stranded cetaceans in New Zealand by analysing video footage of fourteen ballistics events involving various species. Specifically, we detail the ballistics procedures applied and the behavioural responses of the animals. Additionally, we sought to understand how animal unconsciousness was evaluated following each event by surveying the personnel involved. Video recordings ranged in length from 25 to 480 s after the initial shot and involved 14 cetaceans: one Cuvier’s beaked whale, one pygmy sperm whale, one bottlenose dolphin, four pilot whales and seven false killer whales. Unconsciousness criteria were typically not observed being verified in the videos analysed, despite markspersons stating that death occurred in < 1 minute for most animals. Number of shots applied to an animal ranged from 1–3. Key behaviours indicative of unconsciousness included a continuously slack lower jaw and epaxial muscle relaxation. Based on behavioural observations, 66.7 % of animals for which an estimate could be made (n = 12) were likely unconscious within 30 s of the initial shot; half of these were likely unconscious within 10 s. The remaining animals appeared conscious for 30 s after the initial shot, and half of these were likely still conscious after one minute. Ten animals displayed post-shot behaviours suggestive of voluntary control, including tail lifting, beyond the point of presumed death reported by markspersons. The lack of verification of unconsciousness in most animals (12/14) hinders our ability to understand how these behaviours may correlate with awareness and thus welfare impacts of shooting. While the application of ballistics appeared to follow current national recommendations, mandated procedures for verifying death were rarely observed. We recommend exploring the reasons for this finding, to ensure that such procedures are appropriately undertaken, and welfare compromise minimised. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or difficulties accessing the paper. Thank you, Rebecca ------------------------------------------------------------- Rebecca M Boys, Ph.D. Marine Biologist Research Associate Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand [cid:ed87d191-727b-47c9-a09b-50ccfd578e3a]<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebecca_Boys> [cid:d8b00938-2e1a-4228-8f34-f419a7c4b834] <https://scholar.google.co.nz/citations?hl=en&user=7rHpOpMAAAAJ> [cid:b6661ef0-9f1e-42c4-886b-04f472955b31] <https://twitter.com/RebeccaMBoys> [cid:8b82b01b-c5b9-4240-8ff2-cff44690261e] <https://www.facebook.com/CetaceanEcologyOrg/?__xts__[0]=68.ARBKlWSLR-YC7KHNrW51KXYC8RqNWn5mtIpZGlhILsMi73gubXw7i0iNq-bMfLim8n7PnUX74GpGPXJqVJBIxqdfqVAvHxEd2En0qyW6mKYd9Q30p8kEFIBWKPFgrh4uEh6ISXy5ihiNbt8H1yEWprZQN4kZDRW8gPSk6TMiyNoF-uJ0o1uPoosrGMKBKGD8sc4K3SJPD2e-mWqDxZOc_aY670ngZVZm6YlpZzvKj_r_vh_aHHeSQuS7lgktu6h7HwKL_pEGombnfjc6z3ekwEF4Szn9mLA-y643tiUxNSQiFyiDyOzrVFqnT34Ctus2d0A9GXJMVBvnw7lCKoNnEq4kbA> [cid:f26798e9-898a-4472-ad33-95d531e9ffc3] <https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/explore/research/animal-veterinary/animal/marine/marine_home.cfm> [cid:be7eb92b-8287-4e64-a1f8-4c7738b8a8e3] www.cetaceanecology.org/<https://www.cetaceanecology.org/> European Cetacean Society National Contact Person for New Zealand [cid:24140e4d-3d81-40ca-97a7-a8a7219fe57b] [https://attachment.outlook.live.net/owa/rebeccaboys@hotmail.com/service.svc/...] Rebecca Boys (she/her) Senior Scientific Officer | Marine NCEA Marine & Fisheries: Our vision - clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse ocean and seas Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs E: rebecca.boys@defra.gov.uk Office location: Horizon House, Bristol Learn more about the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA)<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-capital-and-ecosystem-assessment-programme/natural-capital-and-ecosystem-assessment-programme> programme. If I am sending this email outside of regular working hours, it may be because I’m working flexibly. There is no expectation for you to respond outside of your usual working hours.
