Santa Cruz De Tenerife (EFE).- The Loro Parque Fundación and the University Institute of Animal Health of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) are collaborating on a pioneering project that aims to manufacture a specific device to refloat stranded cetaceans, and thus prevent his death.
This project, subsidized by the Government of the Canary Islands, will provide all the islands with at least one refloating system that, in the event of a stranding, allows early intervention by experts from the ULPGC University Institute of Animal Health, who are those in charge of evaluating whether the animals are fit to return to the sea.
This would make it possible to manage these emergencies by reducing the risk of death of specimens in individual or massive strandings, such as the one that recently occurred in Scotland and in which more than 40 pilot whales died, as explained by the Loro Parque Fundación on Wednesday in a statement. .
The development of this system is included in the MARCET II project, whose objectives are the use of advanced operational oceanography techniques, as well as monitoring and health surveillance of cetaceans residing in marine protected areas of special interest in Macaronesia, to the protection and conservation of these species and their enhancement as natural heritage.
The Canary Islands is a territory whose oceanographic and climatic conditions favor that 30 different species of cetaceans have been identified in the archipelago, making it one of the places in the world with the greatest diversity of whales and dolphins, adds the Tenerife zoo.
But precisely this enormous diversity and abundance is also the cause of an average of 50 cetaceans a year beaching on the coasts of the archipelago, some of them alive.
The Loro Parque Fundación adds that the first prototype of the device for refloating cetaceans will foreseeably be available at the end of this summer, and by the end of the year manufacturing is expected to be completed.
Then the training process would begin so that the emergency teams know exactly how to act in these cases.
The director of the Loro Parque Fundación, Javier Almunia, indicates that orcas and dolphins are animals that have very effective thermal insulation, and regulate their body heat thanks to their contact with water.
“When they are stranded alive, the heat is their greatest threat, which is why it is important to keep them in the shade and continually wet them” and, in the event of a stranding of any marine animal, the most important thing is to call 112 so that the emergency services are activated, he adds. .
Javier Almunia also points out that pulling the tail or fins to take them to the water can cause pain and even injuries, as well as being dangerous in the case of large animals.
“It is essential that a veterinarian assess the condition of the animal before returning it to the sea and, when experts recommend doing so, these reflotation devices will make it easier and safer, both for the cetacean and for the rescue services. ”, he details.
The specialist also stresses that the reasons for atypical strandings such as the one in Scotland are not exactly known, but many species of dolphins live in family groups, sometimes very large and if for some reason they get too close to the shoreline and are unable to return to deep water at low tide, they may strand on the sand and die.
In the case of mass strandings, the vast majority of animals are usually in good health, and it is feasible to return them to the sea to avoid their death.
This task, however, is not easy, especially with large cetaceans whose weight can easily exceed 2,000 kilos.
Having this type of rescue system greatly facilitates the task of returning healthy specimens to the sea, especially if it is a massive stranding where dozens or hundreds of animals have to be protected and refloated, sometimes in remote locations.
In some cases, there are specimens that need a longer recovery period to be able to return to the sea, which is also provided for in the stranding equipment, which will have portable pools, water circulation pumps and even tents to house the veterinary team. take care of the animal.
“In these circumstances, it is when the decades of knowledge and experience that have been accumulated by the veterinarians of the dolphinariums are valued. Thanks to the scientific advances that have made cetaceans under human care possible, emergency veterinary medicine is being developed that will be key to saving the lives of animals in this type of situation”, concludes Almunia. EFE
July 19, 2023
0 Comment
The Canary Islands will have a pioneering cetacean refloating system to prevent deaths
by EFE
Santa Cruz De Tenerife (EFE).- The Loro Parque Fundación and the University Institute of Animal Health of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) are collaborating on a pioneering project that aims to manufacture a specific device to refloat stranded cetaceans, and thus prevent his death.This project, subsidized by the Government of the... Read More