The Self-Stranding Behavior of a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in Inner Danish Waters and Considerations concerning Human Interference in Live Strandings
The rescue attempts of stranded whales and euthanasia considerations must include condition assessments of the individual involved, but this is challenged by our insufficient knowledge about the health statuses of these whales. Here, we describe three separate strandings of a young male killer whale...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2076-2615/13/12/1948/ 2023-08-20T04:07:45+02:00 The Self-Stranding Behavior of a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in Inner Danish Waters and Considerations concerning Human Interference in Live Strandings Aage Kristian Olsen Alstrup Charlotte Bie Thøstesen Kirstin Anderson Hansen Christian Sonne Carl Christian Kinze Lars Mikkelsen Annika Thomsen Peter Povlsen Hanne Lyngholm Larsen Anne Cathrine Linder Sussie Pagh agris 2023-06-10 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13121948 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Wildlife https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani13121948 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Animals; Volume 13; Issue 12; Pages: 1948 behavior euthanasia killer whale life stranding rescue operation strandings Text 2023 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13121948 2023-08-01T10:25:48Z The rescue attempts of stranded whales and euthanasia considerations must include condition assessments of the individual involved, but this is challenged by our insufficient knowledge about the health statuses of these whales. Here, we describe three separate strandings of a young male killer whale (Orcinus orca) in shallow Danish waters during 2021–2022. During the first two stranding events, the whale exhibited remarkable behavior and, after refloating attempts and several kilometers of swimming, it returned to shallow water. This suggests that it actively chose to be in this shallow water, perhaps to ensure free airways and respiration. During the last stranding, it stayed in shallow water for 30 days, during which, euthanasia was considered due to its seemingly worsened condition, including a collapsed dorsal fin. However, suddenly, the whale swam away and, a year later, he was seen alive, confirming that euthanasia would have been the wrong decision. This case raises an important question as to when and under what circumstances active human interventions, such as refloating attempts, should be launched and when euthanasia should be carried out. Every stranding is unique and decisions should be based on thorough considerations of the animal’s health and the chance of a successful rescue. Text Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale MDPI Open Access Publishing Animals 13 12 1948 |
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ftmdpi |
language |
English |
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behavior euthanasia killer whale life stranding rescue operation strandings |
spellingShingle |
behavior euthanasia killer whale life stranding rescue operation strandings Aage Kristian Olsen Alstrup Charlotte Bie Thøstesen Kirstin Anderson Hansen Christian Sonne Carl Christian Kinze Lars Mikkelsen Annika Thomsen Peter Povlsen Hanne Lyngholm Larsen Anne Cathrine Linder Sussie Pagh The Self-Stranding Behavior of a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in Inner Danish Waters and Considerations concerning Human Interference in Live Strandings |
topic_facet |
behavior euthanasia killer whale life stranding rescue operation strandings |
description |
The rescue attempts of stranded whales and euthanasia considerations must include condition assessments of the individual involved, but this is challenged by our insufficient knowledge about the health statuses of these whales. Here, we describe three separate strandings of a young male killer whale (Orcinus orca) in shallow Danish waters during 2021–2022. During the first two stranding events, the whale exhibited remarkable behavior and, after refloating attempts and several kilometers of swimming, it returned to shallow water. This suggests that it actively chose to be in this shallow water, perhaps to ensure free airways and respiration. During the last stranding, it stayed in shallow water for 30 days, during which, euthanasia was considered due to its seemingly worsened condition, including a collapsed dorsal fin. However, suddenly, the whale swam away and, a year later, he was seen alive, confirming that euthanasia would have been the wrong decision. This case raises an important question as to when and under what circumstances active human interventions, such as refloating attempts, should be launched and when euthanasia should be carried out. Every stranding is unique and decisions should be based on thorough considerations of the animal’s health and the chance of a successful rescue. |
format |
Text |
author |
Aage Kristian Olsen Alstrup Charlotte Bie Thøstesen Kirstin Anderson Hansen Christian Sonne Carl Christian Kinze Lars Mikkelsen Annika Thomsen Peter Povlsen Hanne Lyngholm Larsen Anne Cathrine Linder Sussie Pagh |
author_facet |
Aage Kristian Olsen Alstrup Charlotte Bie Thøstesen Kirstin Anderson Hansen Christian Sonne Carl Christian Kinze Lars Mikkelsen Annika Thomsen Peter Povlsen Hanne Lyngholm Larsen Anne Cathrine Linder Sussie Pagh |
author_sort |
Aage Kristian Olsen Alstrup |
title |
The Self-Stranding Behavior of a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in Inner Danish Waters and Considerations concerning Human Interference in Live Strandings |
title_short |
The Self-Stranding Behavior of a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in Inner Danish Waters and Considerations concerning Human Interference in Live Strandings |
title_full |
The Self-Stranding Behavior of a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in Inner Danish Waters and Considerations concerning Human Interference in Live Strandings |
title_fullStr |
The Self-Stranding Behavior of a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in Inner Danish Waters and Considerations concerning Human Interference in Live Strandings |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Self-Stranding Behavior of a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in Inner Danish Waters and Considerations concerning Human Interference in Live Strandings |
title_sort |
self-stranding behavior of a killer whale (orcinus orca) in inner danish waters and considerations concerning human interference in live strandings |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13121948 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale |
genre_facet |
Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale |
op_source |
Animals; Volume 13; Issue 12; Pages: 1948 |
op_relation |
Wildlife https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani13121948 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13121948 |
container_title |
Animals |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
1948 |
_version_ |
1774719615888261120 |