If anyone comes across articles regarding any recent strandings, could you please post the link for me?
Thanks
I had one across my desk just last week involving nine stranded pygmy killer whales or melon-head whales (they weren’t sure which, but both those species are dolphins rather than whales, right?), followed by another 20 or so a day or two later. I think they managed to get a few of them back into the sea, some others were taken to some kind of reseach station but most of the others died. I’ll try and find the story later tonight but I can’t promise. I remember the rescuers were surprised because they beached on the west coast rather than the east coast, which is apparently their normal location.
Here it is in its un-edited state. Sorry about that.
[quote]Tainan, Feb. 23
Nine of a pod of 28 cetaceans believed to be a species of dolphin that were found beached Wednesday morning on a beach in Tainan County’s Chiangchun rural township had died by later in the day, while the remaining 18 were still stranded.
Veterinarians, coast guard officers and experts from the Taiwan Cetacean Society rushed to the scene to try to get the animals off the beach and back into the water.
The dead animals, believed to be either pygmy killer whales or melon-head whales, will be transported to the Tainan County Livestock Disease Control Center for autopsy, said Hsieh Yao-ching, the director of the center.
The 28 animals were found just one day after eight others were found on the same beach and experts were trying to determine why so many beached themselves at once.
Further adding to the mystery is the fact that pygmy killer whales and melon-head whales, both of which are actually a species of dolphin, are usually seen in the waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast and rarely off the island’s western shores.
Of the eight discovered on a sandbar in Chinangchun rural township the previous day, three had died, three had been returned to the sea in good health and the remaining two were sent to the Sitsao Reservation District of Tainan City for treatment.[/quote]
Thanks. Its so fustrating. The Taiwan Cetacean Society is headed by a Dr. Chou. She craves international attention, to the point of annoying the Federal Advisory Commitee of the US Marine Mammals Commission. I heard all about it at a ocean noise policy meeting in London. Short of calling her an idiot, I don’t know what to say. Pushed back in good health? How can she confirm that? a dolphin that strands itself is not in good health, somethings is wrong, that’s why it beached itself. Also, if it has become deaf from any type of trauma to the ear, they have now become shark food.
She doesn’t have the knowledge or the background information to be in charge of the strandings. Did you know that last year in Feb. there was a mass stranding (we believe) caused by US and Phillipine naval exersises off of Orchid Island, we had international experts wanting to look into the situation, and she gave the carcasses away for bone display to Hualien Ocean Park instead. She only cares about her reputation, not the dolphins or the whales. This woman fustrates me :fume:
Another FYI: In 2001 police found over two metric tons (2,234 kg) of dolphin parts in a freezer in Ilan County rented by a volunteer of the Taiwan Cetacean Society. The society is now more commonly referred to in Taiwan as the
Dissapointing response. Tainan government has decided it was more important to use the carcasses of the stranded dolphins for bone display, than research. We wanted to look for a possible cause of the strandings.
What the hell do they need that for? They must have dozens and dozens of skeletons by now. :s
So you’re saying that no autopsies were carried out at all? That is sickening. Tell me, when you discover shit like this, is there anyone you write to, such as international agencies or whatever? And if so, do they put any kind of pressure on these local clowns?
Yeah, I know, its very frustrating to hear. They say that they do a necropsy for every death, and they do, but they don’t know what they are doing. Heart and other organ failure is always listed as the cause of death because they don’t know how to check for anything else. How stupid is that, of course their heart stopped, their dead! It’s like the rescue team that showed up for a previous stranding and tried to give mouth to blowhole recusitation! Imagine that, Taiwan coast guard or whatever they were going" 1,2,3 blow…stand back everyone, this is serious…1,2,3…" That kind of stuff belongs in the “News of the weird.” When you see experts written anywhere, understand that is the extent of their expertise.
What happens is that different counties want the skeletons for their museums or whatever display they think tourist will like. Last time, we knew the US Navy was here and there was a mass stranding of Pilot whales at the northern tip of Taidung, and Hualien Ocean Park (aka Dolphin slaughter house) got the carcasses for their display. No one, not even their “expert” Dr. Chou is even considering investigating this most recent stranding.
You don’t have to be a scientist to know that when over two days, 38 stranding occur, somethings wrong.
We have been able to get the support of one international agency (so far) that wrote a letter to the President’s office last week on the behalf of the Indo-Pacific Humpbacks that will be displaced and/or killed by this planned military exercise. We are still waiting for an official response. We plan on going to the US Navy about this lack of monitoring. They have legal obligations to ensure the safety of all marine mammals in their testing areas (to the best of their capabilities). The Navy doesn’t know that Taiwan isn’t conducting a proper necropsy or investigation. It puts them in breech of agreement with US NGO’s, and after the lawsuit they just lost to NGO’s in the states, I don’t think they will tolerate this.
I am hoping for a positive to come out of this negative. Otherwise, these poor cetaceans…
Taiwanese believe that eating dolphin meat in the winter will help you stay warm. I’m too tired to go into right now, but as you can imagine, dolphins aren’t safe anywhere around this island right now.
Just a thought, use it, don’t use it, whatever, but I’m wondering what sandman and honour have regarding animal, veterinary, zoological qualifications? I’m not sure about others but I get the impression that they know better and I’d be inclined to ask what should one do at a beaching?
In addition, I’d like to know if we should perhaps build a crematorium for dolphins, you know so that instead of the meat being used in a helpful way, lets just burn them up.
I don’t have the faintest idea. I DO think, however, that the head honcho of a scholarly research organization should be more concerned about, um, research rather than tourist attractions.
What I find most telling is that researchers wanted to study these creatures but were unable to because the local research chief sold the carcases to tourist attractions.
That she’s presumably a highly qualified scientist makes it even more mind boggling, IMO.
My most fervent hope is that one of the reasons for these beachings has to do with mercury poisoning and that the fuckers who buy the meat get poisoned themeslves.
Odd, I don’t know why I haven’t seen these responses before. I was only browsing the thread for information to help with the effort to save the dogs. What a mess! That dog catcher should be arrested. I want to help them but I am so swamped right now. For now, I can only provide my advice.
I don’t know if you are still interested, but I will post it anyways. All stranded dolphins should be euthanized. Pushing them back without knowing what caused the individual or group to strand is a waste of resources. When they are pushed back, they are as good as shark food if they are injured in any way. If they are deafend by whatever interruption that caused them to strand, they will suffer from a slow and frightening death, not able to understand anything around them. As you probably know dolphins rely on their own sonar capabilities for food, communication, and finding their way around ect. Without being able to hear any of the communications from other dolphins, they will be unable to be warned of an approaching predator, food source or mate, ect.
As for them “knowing better”… 
This is how Taiwanese experts are handling strandings… A quote from a TVBS news,
“A live Bottlenose dolphin was found stranded in early 2005, the rescue team tried to give the animal mouth to blowhole resuscitation”
I tried to post the photo but it doesn’ t seem to be working out. The leader of the Taiwan Cetacean Society is not considered a credible scientist. In order to be a credible scientist one must be published in credible journals. Although, she is in there as a second authour, it doesn’t count. Only first authours are acknowledged.
As for me, I am the Taiwan projects director, and events organizers for a couple of largely respected international groups. I am educated by some of the world’s best marine scientists. No relevant degree can beat that type of training. Hope that answers your questions. Sorry for the super late response! 