By Nancy Merchant, Education Volunteer, The Marine Mammal Center

(Thanks to Doreen Moser, Assistant Director of Education, The Marine Mammal

Center)

Dr. Marty Haulena, staff veterinarian for The Marine Mammal

Center (The Center); a nonprofit wildlife hospital in Sausalito, which

rescues and rehabilitates sick or injured marine mammals found along the

coast from Mendocino to San Luis Obispo Counties; was the speaker at the

April 12, 2000 meeting of the American Cetacean Society (ACS). Dr. Haulena

had originally been scheduled to speak in March, but had been urgently

called away to respond to a crisis of another marine mammal species, the

severely endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Although it's hard to imagine

anyone postponing a night in Pacifica for a grueling 10-day excursion (which

extended to 4 weeks when their only transport boat developed propeller

problems) to the tropical waters of Hawaii, Dr. Haulena nonetheless made the

sacrifice! The island of Laysan is part of the virtually unknown cluster of

islands that continues to the northwest towards Midway Island from the

larger islands we're all familiar with. The only access is by the

aforementioned boat. The cause of concern was an outbreak of 4 aborted monk

seal fetuses, which is a major worry in an already endangered species. The

mission was to try to determine the cause, which in turn could lead to

prevention. Obviously, the most useful data would be a comparison between

females that aborted and those still pregnant or with live births. However,

since human handling is stressful, the scientists were prohibited from

handling or disturbing any pregnant seals for fear of causing further

abortions. A strict protocol had to be followed to ensure the safety of the

animals, requiring painstaking identification of the animals that could be

handled (the females which had already aborted and males). Although

numerous blood samples and blubber biopsies were collected, it may take a

long time to process and analyze the data, so the cause of the abortions is

still a mystery. The good news is that there were no subsequent abortions.

The primary topic of our meeting, however, dealt with the realities

of rescuing and rehabilitating cetaceans. Unfortunately, it's a sober

reality in terms of releases: at best there is only about a 10% success

rate; more commonly it is less than 1%. Dr. Haulena explained that

cetaceans are not meant to spend time out of water (aside from their

spectacular leaps), so they will stay in the water as long as they can when

sick or injured. As they stop feeding, a vicious cycle ensues where they

deplete their blubber stores, further weakening them and also losing their

insulating capability. Whales or dolphins that strand along the northern

California coast, where the water temperatures are cold (50°-60° F), are

very close to death because they have lost a significant amount of blubber

trying to stay warm. Of the cetaceans The Center has responded to, roughly

half were already dead upon arrival; most of the rest died within the first

24 hours. In comparison, cetaceans that strand along the East Coast, where

the water is warmer, have a stronger chance of survival because they are

generally healthier when they strand.

Other problems with cetacean rescue and rehabilitation are

logistical. Many of these animals are much larger than humans, and they can

not move on land. Cetaceans are not meant to bear weight on flippers and muscles.

Stranding can compromise respiration and lead to damage to internal organs.

Lengthy waits on shore prior to discovery and rescue further impairs their health and
lessens their chances of post-rescue survival.

Humphrey, a humpback whale, is probably the most famous example of a

successful cetacean "rescue" by The Center, which also involved cooperation

among many agencies. Humphrey did not require hospitalization, but without

the efforts to send him back to the open ocean, Humphrey probably would not

have survived his exploratory journey.

Although The Center has excellent facilities for pinnipeds (seals

and sea lions), it does not yet have a permanent pool large enough to

accommodate most cetaceans for long periods of time. During the recent rescue and rehabilitation of a rough-toothed dolphin named Elliott, UnderWater World generously donated the use of one of their back-up pools. Although the pool was invaluable,

the off-site location made monitoring of the dolphin by veterinary staff difficult.

Elliott was a tropical dolphin, accustomed to 80ø F. water

temperatures, that rarely ranges north of Baja (obviously a large strike

against his chances to begin with). He and another rough-toothed dolphin

had probably followed a warm-water current, most likely with a good food

source, to the frigid waters where the two dolphins ultimately stranded.

Although Elliott did not achieve the goal of successful release, his rescue

involved many remarkable accomplishments. The other dolphin died within 12 hours after rescue. Elliott survived for 5 months in spite of a very poor prognosis: he had pneumonia, possible cardiac muscle damage, an electrolyte imbalance, extensive skeletal muscle damage, and high white cell count indicating infection. The hands-on experience with a

rare species provides valuable learning opportunities for staff and

volunteers, and often calls upon their creative and inventive talents.

He was unable to swim on his own upon arrival at the hospital.

With barely concealed emotion of the all-too-recent loss, Dr.

Haulena told how Elliott was a very special FedEx passenger transported to

Florida (where he was scheduled to live with a companion dolphin in

captivity), only to die a short time after arrival from kidney failure,

probably caused by drinking salt water. Cetaceans and

other marine mammals get their fresh water from the fish they eat and by

metabolically producing water from their blubber stores but occasionally will drink salt water to their detriment.

Even if the outcome is not always a successful release, Dr. Haulena

emphasized that there are many reasons to rescue and rehabilitate cetaceans.

Perhaps the most important reason for attempting rehabilitation is the

advancement of the science; increased knowledge will benefit future animals

in need and the species as a whole. Most of this audience has compassion

for animals, and the hope that an individual animal can be helped is always

a priority. For rare and endangered species, the continuation of the

species may depend on our ability to help. If the cause of an animal's

ailment is man-made or environmental, early knowledge may prevent the loss

of other animals from the same cause. Marine mammals are useful as

sentinels for what is going on in the ecosystem, which may affect many

aquatic and terrestrial species, including humans. Cetaceans, as mammals,

likely have more relevance than invertebrates, for example, as to how

changes in the environment may affect humans.

Since cetaceans spend most of their lives in the vast ocean where it

is difficult for us to study them, much of our knowledge to date has come

from studying dead animals; or animals in captivity. Time is of the essence

to collect samples from dead cetaceans. When a cetacean dies, its thick

blubber layer traps the heat and causes rapid decomposition. The brain

would provide useful data, but is rarely collected because it decomposes quickly.

Blubber and skin samples inform us of the animal's DNA, toxic chemical contaminant levels, and the

overall nutritional health of the animal as indicated by blubber depth.

Another obstacle to collecting information from dead animals is

difficult access to the remote locations where marine mammals often wash up.

It is also understandably difficult to get permission to necropsy

(post-mortem exam) dead animals if they are near human inhabitants, due to

the stench of decaying tissues.

The cause of the current spike in number of dead gray whales found

along the northern California coast has not been determined, but is being

studied diligently by multiple organizations. As of 5/1/00, 21 dead gray

whales have been found in northern California this year. If you see a

relatively fresh carcass, please notify The Marine Mammal Center

(415-289-SEAL) immediately. Decomposed remains should also be reported.

Working together for a common cause brings out the best in people

with diverse interests. The Center often receives indispensable cooperation

with other organizations, ranging from aquariums to universities to large

corporations.

Thanks again to Dr. Haulena for sharing his expertise, his humor,

the great slides of adorable baby albatrosses and other feathered, furred,

fluked, and/or flippered species, and his obvious love for the animals.

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