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Dear all, On the 26th of January
the NGOs (Almeria PROMAR) and the Spanish Cetacean Society (SEC) requested the
collaboration of the Unit of Cetacean Research (Veterinary Pathology Unit,
Institute for Animal Health, Veterinary School) from Las Palmas University in
the Canary Islands, to conduct a pathological study of four whales that mass
stranded on the Almeria´s coats in Southern Spain. The veterinary
pathologists carried out the necropsy of two males and two females beaked
whales (Ziphius cavirostris,
family Ziphiidae). All animals
were in good body (nutritive) conditions with some rests of ingested prey.
Three carcasses were in fresh condition and the fourth was moderately
decomposed when necropsied. The epidemiological data
showed an “atypical” beaked whale mass stranding involving four
whales which died during the evening and/or night of the 26th of
January 2006. Two animals were found alive and two were found dead. The two
live animals appeared to show clear signs of “sickness” and died
soon after being found. All the four animals
showed a “Gas and Fat Embolic Syndrome” as a result of the
pathological study. This syndrome, as it has been previously described in
beaked whales, would be responsible for the stranding and death of these
animals. When whales with this syndrome strand alive, they develop a more
severe cardiovascular clinico-pathological picture and die shortly afterwards. The pathological findings
in the Based on current
scientific knowledge, and the pathological findings in this study, the most
likely primary cause of this type of beaked whale mass stranding event is
anthropogenic acoustic activities, most probably anti-submarine active
mid-frequency sonar used during the military naval exercises (Jepson et al. 2003, Fernandez et al. 2004, 2005, Cox
et al. 2006). For more details please
contact: Profesor
of Veterinary Pathology Co-ordinator Unit
of Cetacean Research (Members): Manuel Arbelo, DVM Eva Sierra, DVM Mariña Méndez, DVM Ana Godinho, DVM Maria José Caballero, DVM, PhD Gustavo Ramirez, DVM Veterinary Histology
and Pathology Email:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Institute for
Animal Health and Food Security (IUSA) University of Las
Palmas de Gran Canaria Bibliography: •
Jepson, P.D., Arbelo, M.,
Deaville, R., Patterson,I.A.P., Castro, P., Baker, J.R., Degollada, E., Ross,
H.M., Herraez, P., Pocknell, A.M., Rodriguez, F., Howie, F.E., Espinosa, A.,
Reid, R.J., Jaber, J.R., Martin, V., Cunningham, A.A. and Fernández, A.
2003. Gas-bubble lesions in stranded cetaceans. Nature 425:575-576. •
Fernández,
A. 2004. Pathological findings in stranded beaked whales during the naval
military manoeuvres near the •
Fernández, A., Arbelo,
M., Deaville, R., Patterson, I.A.P., Castro, P., Baker, J.R., Degollada, E.,
Ross, H.M., Herráez, P., Pocknell, A.M., Rodríguez, F., Howie, F.E., Espinosa,
A., Reid, R.J., Jaber, J.R., Martin, V., Cunninghan, A.A., and Jepson,
P.D. 2004. Beaked Whales, Sonar and Decompression Sickness. Nature 10: 1038. •
Fernández, A., Edwards,
J.F., Rodriguez, F., Espinosa de los Monteros, A., Herraez, P., Castro, P.,
Jaber, J.R., Martin, V. and Arbelo, M. 2005. "Gas and fat embolic
syndrome“ involving a mass stranding of beaked whales (family
Ziphiidae) exposed to anthropogenic sonar signals. Veterinary. Pathology. 42:446-57.
•
T.M. Cox1, T.J. Ragen1,
A.J. Read2, E. Vos1, R.W. Baird3, K. Balcomb4, J. Barlow5, J. Caldwell6, T.
Cranford7, L. Crum8, A. D’Amico9, G. D’Spain10, |
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