Information on Phocine Distemper Virus in the UK
Saturday 31st

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To date there have been 408 reported dead seals around the UK. 334 of the reported dead seals are from England, in particular the Wash area. 39 of these have been sent for post-mortem, 13 cases have been confirmed as positive for PDV. All positive cases of PDV have been from the Wash. 21 dead seals have been reported from Wales and 6 from Northern Ireland. 47 dead seals have been reported from Scotland, 5 of these have been sent for post-mortem (4 common seals and 1 grey seal) but there is no suggestion of PDV in any of these cases.

Marine Mammal Medic Training Course and Events Dates 2002/2003
Thursday 29th

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For Scottish courses, please contact Dr Kev Robinson
on 01261 851696

DATE	LOCATION	INSTRUCTOR(S)
15.09.02	MMM BEWL, KENT FULL	MARK STEVENS
29.09.02	MMM CUMBRIA. ST BEES	JAMES BARNETT
29.09.02	MMM CORNWALL. LOOE	ALAN KNIGHT
12.10.02	MMM VETS, LINCOLNSHIRE FULL	JAMES BARNETT
12.10.02 13.10.02	Dive Show Birmingham
10.11.02	MMM KENT - BEWL	MARK STEVENS
28.11.02	MMM SCARBOROUGH TBC	TBC
01.03.03 02.03.03	London show EXCEL
15.11.03 16.11.03	NEC show
TBC	MASS STRANDING NW WALES	SHAWN CLEMENTS

£400 Raised!
Thursday 29th

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Faye Archell, and the Anglia region raised £400 at a Tombola staged by Faye (Anglia coordinator) at the week-end. A great effort and well done to all involved!

Information on Phocine Distemper VirusReport No. 2
Thursday 22nd

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Since 12 August 2002, there have been 145 reports of dead seals around the UK (excluding Northern Ireland). Approximately 25-30 of these have been sent for post-mortem and 6 cases have been confirmed as positive for PDV. The confirmed cases were from the Wash on the southeast coast of England. The number of reported dead seals is higher than would normally be reported at this time of year but how much of this increase is real and how much relates to increased observer effort is unknown.

Current PDV Crisis
Thursday 22nd

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I have been asked to verify the number that should be contacted concerning reporting any live/dead seals during the current PDV crisis.

The number is : 0871 244 7999

Cheers,

Tony.
Exmouth BDMLR Co-ordinator & News/Info Service.

RSPCA battle to save seal pups hit by outbreak of deadly virus
Thursday 22nd

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The eyes give it away. In a healthy seal, those brown limpid pools return your gaze: alert, inquisitive and, some would say, almost human.

In an increasing number of the seals stretched out on Norfolk shingle in the searing August heat this weekend, that glow of life had all but gone. Staring listlessly, contorted and wheezing with pain, the stricken mammals displayed the tell-tale symptoms of the virus whose return has long been feared.

Fourteen years ago, more than 3,000 common seals around Britain, and more than 15,000 elsewhere in northern Europe, were wiped out by Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV), an infectious disease spread on the breath of infected seals. Last week, following a fresh outbreak on Scandinavian shores, the first cases of the virus in Britain since 1988 were confirmed.

During that epidemic, harrowing pictures of seal corpses washing up on British beaches made front-page news. Evidence that the disease is spreading again was obvious when The Telegraph joined teams from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the search for stricken seals.

On the remote spits off the Norfolk coast, colonies of up to 200 seals could still be seen frolicking in the surf or basking in the heat. Some stray seals and pups, however, lay alone, uncharacteristically for their species, almost motionless, clearly in distress.

One of the mammals separated from a colony and beached near Blakeney Point had an arched back and struggled to breathe with diseased lungs. Elsewhere, there were lonely pups separated from their mothers, floppy, emaciated, and barely able to move.

The highly-infectious virus, which is similar to canine distemper, cannot be treated and spreads quickly. It attacks the seals' immune system leaving them susceptible to infections such as pneumonia and respiratory problems.

The RSPCA's officers have begun rescuing seals with suspected PDV. With care, many can recover from the usually fatal illness. Officers lift the sick animals on to stretchers before carrying them back across the East Anglian beaches in the charity's Land Rovers. The team works fast: it has to. Seals may look cuddly, but can bite the unwary.

The RSPCA's Norfolk animal hospital, at East Winch, near King's Lynn, has been transformed since the last epidemic from a makeshift affair set up in a bus shelter into a 1.7 million care centre.

Last week, however, the pessimism was palpable as the charity's staff prepared for a return of the epidemic. About 15 common seals with suspected PDV were already being cared for in the hospital's suite of 17 isolation chambers.

The air was bitter with the odour of fish and disinfectant as the staff, dressed in white overalls, paced the corridor. Behind a line of doors, rescued seal pups were being given a chance to overcome the illness with a combination of antibiotics, generous portions of herrings and plenty of rest.

Each door bears the name chosen for the seal by staff: Surf, Sparkle, Tide and Flash. There is always a theme; this month, the animals are being named after cleaning products.

Like a ward in an National Health Service hospital, every "patient" has its notes pinned next to its sleeping quarters. "This one is coughing quite bad," says one. Another reads: "One of them is squinting in the right eye."

The most stricken are a pitiful sight as they lie on the bare concrete floor of the isolation chamber: the eyes expressionless but caked with yellow discharge, the mouths crimson with sores and bleeding, the silver pelts covering an emaciated form.

Alison Charles, the hospital's deputy manager, said: "We try not to treat them as pets. They are wild animals. You find that you do build up a relationship with them though. They have their own personalities. When you lose one, it is horrible."

With care, a strong seal can fight off the infection in 10 days. Others can suffer for weeks before they die an agonising death.

Ms Charles added: "Most of the ones we are getting at the moment are pups born in June or July. They are just scared little babies, really."

Preparations are in hand for dealing with the consequences of an epidemic. Staff are being trained to assess which sick seals have a chance of recovery and which must be put down.

The atmosphere of gloom has yet to reach the jetties and bays around Blakeney, the Norfolk coastal town where boatmen carry crowds of tourists on "seal tours".

One boatman said: "I'm sure it won't be as bad as last time. Seals can live to 30, so most were around last time and should be immune."

Their hopes are not shared by scientists, however. There are a number of theories, including pollution and a distemper virus transferred from Husky dogs, but 14 years on experts are still no nearing to establishing the cause.

( Source : www.telegraph.co.uk )

Phocine Distemper Virus Report No. 1
Saturday 17th

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Information on Phocine Distemper Virus in the UK 14th August, 2002

On 13th August 5 cases of PDV were confirmed among harbour seals in the UK. The animals were from the Wash on the southeast coast of England and cause of death was confirmed by Dr Seamus Kennedy of the Veterinary Sciences Division at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland by immunoperoxidase test.

The response to the epidemic in the UK is being coordinated by the Institute of Zoology in London. The Sea Mammal Research Unit will be sending out weekly status reports on the progress of the outbreak in British waters. Details and information will also be posted on our website.

Compiled by Ailsa Hall
SMRU

PDV
Saturday 17th

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I am sure that many of you will be aware of the re-emergence of the phocine distemper virus (PDV) in Europe and its threat to UK seal populations now that the virus has been confirmed within UK seals this very week.

The Department for Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is now funding research into PDV and its effect on UK seal populations. However, in order to accurately assess the impact of PDV on UK seals, scientists in the UK need to recruit a network of volunteers around the UK (especially around seal colonies) to help with the reporting of dead seals. This will enable accurate information on seal mortality rates in local areas to be assessed on a weekly basis. The information derived from the network of volunteers will be centralised so that trends in overall and localised UK seal mortality can be closely monitored by scientists.

What would volunteers be required to do?

Guidelines for volunteers have been produced (see attached document). Basically, volunteers will select a 1km (approx.) stretch of safe coastline in their local area to survey. Surveys will be conducted at least once a week and will involve the volunteer walking along the 1km stretch of beach to look for dead seals. All dead seals found in the 1km survey will be counted and (if possible) marked with a yellow Zip-tie around the flipper. The species, sex and body length of each dead seal will be recorded and the information reported back to a National Co-ordinator (there are four National Co-ordinators covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Ideally, the results of each volunteer survey will be sent to National Co-ordinators electronically via a pro-forma Excel spreadsheet. However, volunteers without email or Excel can simply phone or fax National Co-ordinators with their survey results. The National Co-ordinator will then add the data to a national (UK) database to help monitor the PDV epidemic. National Co-ordinators may also arrange for a limited number of postmortem examinations of dead seals and will inform Local Authorities about all dead seals so that they can be safely cleared from the beach.

How long will the surveys last?

We do not know how long the PDV will persist within UK seals. However, it is important that survey data is initiated as soon as possible and is collected for as many weeks as possible throughout the period of PDV epidemic.

Who should I contact to volunteer?

Potential volunteers in England with email access should send an email entitled "PDV Volunteer" to: sealstrandings@zsl.org.

Each potential volunteer should include their name, address, contact phone number(s) and email address. They should also indicate which stretch of coastline they would be prepared to survey (ideally giving Grid Ref.s) and indicate whether they have Microsoft Excel software.

Potential volunteers in England without email access can phone 020 7449 6672 or fax their details on 020 7568 1457.

In a similar manner, potential volunteers in Scotland or Wales can contact:

Scotland

Wildlife Unit
SAC Veterinary Science Division (Inverness)
Drummondhill
Stratherrick Road
Inverness
IV2 4JZ
tel: 01463 243030
fax: 01463 711103
email: WildlifeUnit@ed.sac.ac.uk

Wales

Marine Environmental Monitoring
Penwalk
Llechryd
Cardigan
SA43 2PS
Tel: 01348 875000
email: seals@strandings.com

Thank you for your assistance.

With very best wishes,

Paul Jepson
(National Seal Strandings Co-ordinator for England)

PDV in the UK
Thursday 15th

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It's my sad task to advise you that PDV has now been confirmed on the U.K. coastline. You may have heard this already via the national (UK) media. Some of the media reports claim that the seals which have now tested positive are the ones which were found two weeks ago, on the Lincolnshire coast, which initially tested negative .... this is incorrect. These 'new' confirmed cases come from different seals which, as you will read below, came from The Wash. Here is an excerpt from the RSPCA's Press Release.

'Post mortems on five seals brought to the RSPCA Norfolk Wildlife Hospital have confirmed an outbreak of Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV) in the UK.

All five animals were found in the Wash two adults were brought in dead and three pups died soon after their arrival at the hospital. Tissue samples from the animals were sent to a specialist lab in Northern Ireland and confirmed that PDV has finally arrived on UK shores.'

For the full story please go to this webpage at the RSPCA's website ;
www.rspca.org.uk

I will try and keep you as up-to-date as possible with the spread, affects and our response to the virus as I can.

Regards,

Tony.
Exmouth BDMLR Co-ordinator & News/Info Service.

Dolphin Strandings at Burghead, Scotland
Thursday 15th

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On Sun 11 August at 07:00 hrs, 2 unidentified dolphins were found stranded above the tideline on the west beach at Burghead (southern Moray Firth, Scotland) by several members of the public.

The dolphins were believed to have been on the beach for about 2.5 hours before they were discovered. The coastguard was called and a tarpaulin sheet was rushed to the scene. With the support of approx. 12 beach combers/dog walkers, the local folk lifted and pulled each of the distressed animals back to the water. One of the dolphins responded quickly to being returned to the water and pushed away forcefully from the stretcher when the rescuers were about waist deep in the sea. The second animal was much weaker, however, and didn't respond so well. After it was refloated it was observed listing and rolling in the water as the first dolphin swam around it.

We received a call at about 09:00 hrs from the coastguard, SAC and SSPCA ( the new network poster is obviously doing its job! (http://www.crru.org.uk/scottish_MARC_poster.pdf ).
Even though the animals were back in the water, they were still swimming in circles in the shallow bay. Without medical attention, we thought they would probably restrand, so the alarm was raised and local medics in the Burghead and Forres areas were called as we packed up the ambulance and extra survival suits.

On route, still about 30 mins from Burghead, we received another call from coastguard Iain Dick informing us that the dolphins had moved off from the bay. We asked if a boat could be made available so that we could make a search of the adjacent bays on arrival, and Iain informed =
us we could go out with him in his own boat.

Whilst several of the team collected information from members of the public rescue team, others set off in the "Sea Spray" to make a systematic search of the immediate coastline, but, unfortunately, to no avail.

We checked with incoming creel boats and a commercial dolphin watch vessel whether they had seen any sign of the pair, but it seemed that the dolphins had moved off the shore -- and a continued vigil brought no further news.

Working through identification books with the some of the local people who had refloated the animals intimated that the two 3 metre dolphins were most likely bottlenose. As no pictures had been taken of the stranded animals, however, this could not be confirmed; but we later learned that a tourist from the nearby caravan site had taken some video footage. We were unsuccessful in tracking this person down, but left messages at the site for the woman to contact us. Bottlenose dolphins are not typically known to form close bonds with others of their kind (other than with their own offspring), so we would obviously be very interested to confirm the actual identification of these individuals. If they do restrand, I am sure we will be the first to know, but here's hoping that they make a full recuperation -- at least the weather is now in their favour...

Many thanks to Bob Reid at the SAC, the Burghead Coastguards, our attending medics (Kath, Elspeth, Lucia, Jordi & Lya) and the warm community of Burghead for all their support

Dr Kevin Robinson
Director, CRRU
National Co-ordinator, BDMLR Scotland

'Rainham' Dolphin - Report
Thursday 15th

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You may recall the excellent (and justifiably proud) report by Alison Stevens on her husband Mark and Geoff Hammock's heroic attempt to rescue a young common dolphin from the Medway mud on June 22nd. You will also recall that the animal unfortunately died during the attempt and that the initial post mortem examination findings by veterinary pathologist, Paul Jepson of the UK Marine Mammal Strandings Programme were of numerous abscesses. Well, Paul has now issued a full report on the post mortem and it does not make pretty reading.

The young female dolphin had extensive abscesses in her muscles and mammary glands which seemed to originate from two chronic injuries over her mammary glands (a photograph of one of these was given in the last BDMLR news story on the stranding). There was also generalised enlargement of the associated lymph nodes and evidence of widespread bacterial infection.

It is impossible to be absolutely sure as to what caused these injuries, which would have resulted in the young animal suffering a slow and lingering death,. However, the presence of lesions resembling healed gill-net type injuries on the beak, left pectoral fin and right tail fluke of the dolphin strongly suggested that, at some point, she had become entangled in fishing gear. When one also considers that one possible cause of the injuries over her mammary glands was a fisherman's gaff, it is easy to imagine how this poor animal may have suffered after an encounter with a fishing boat's nets.

We will never be absolutely sure if this was the case in this particular instance, but there is enough circumstantial evidence here to make us ponder on the harm we are causing to these beautiful animals by our intensive and destructive fishing methods.

James Barnett
BDMLR Veterinary Director

Seasearch training courses in North Wales - Autumn 2002.
Thursday 15th

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What is Seasearch ?

Seasearch is a project for volunteer divers to collect survey information about the seabed and the marine life it supports around the UK coast.

Training courses

The Menai Sub-Aqua Club will be running two Seasearch training courses in October and November 2002.

The Seasearch Observer course is a one day course that teaches the basics of Seasearch surveys and how to complete the Seasearch Observation form. It is a one-day course and doesn't involve any diving, therefore no diving qualifications are necessary. It is suitable for anyone who is new to Seasearch. The course will be run on Sat 19th October in Menai Bridge and will cost £310.

The Seasearch Surveyor course is a two-day course that teaches you to complete the more advanced Seasearch Survey form. It is suitable for anyone who has completed a Seasearch Observer course or has previous experience of Seasearch surveys. The course includes a dive and therefore you must have the following qualifications etc: 1. BSAC Sport Diver / PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or equivalent, with at least 25 logged dives, including 15 temperate sea dives 2. Diving Medical certificate or declaration 3. Diver 3rd party insurance. The course will be run on Sat 23rd & Sun 24th November and will cost £320.

For more details either contact : info@saveourseas.co.uk, or see the Menai Sub-Aqua Club website - www.menaisubaqua.org

Belgian/French North Sea
Tuesday 13th

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Yesterday (6/8/02) the University of Luik (Belgium) confirmed the presence of the pdv virus in a seal which had washed ashore on 31 July 2002 in Boulogne, near the French-Belgian border.

For more detail on the spread and affects of the virus, go to :
http://cwss.www.de/news/news/Seals/01-seal-news.html#22

This occurrence of a PDV positive seal off the French coast is most concerning. It does seem inevitable the PDV will affect the U.K. coastline soon.

Cheers,

Tony.
Exmouth BDMLR Co-ordinator & News/Info Service.

Dolphin's a flippin' hero!
Tuesday 13th

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Friendly dolphin Georges was hailed a hero yesterday after foiling a gems gang getaway.

Just like 60s TV favourite Flipper, the bottlenose swam into action as drama unfolded.

He began diving in and out of the waves in front of a ferry stopping it leaving shore until police had climbed aboard to arrest fleeing thieves.

Inspector Nick Mason said: Coincidence or not, Georges saved the day.

The 8ft dolphin has been a favourite on the South Coast since following a trawler across the English Channel in April. Georges even swims with locals and holidaymakers.

His latest adventure came as three men tried to escape minutes after three gold rings worth 32,000 were snatched from the counter of a jewellers in Swanage, on Dorsets Isle of Purbeck.

There are only two ways off by a road, which the police sealed off, or by ferry to nearby Sandbanks. Insp Mason said: You can imagine our delight when we arrived to find the ferry still with the suspects on board watching the dolphin.

The ferry was about to leave before Georges arrived on the scene. The operators were worried about sailing over him and they delayed the departure.

Wildlife expert Jenny Waldron said: Georges was just having a bit of fun but hes turned out to be a real hero.

Three men in their 20s were arrested and released on bail while inquiries continue. Police believe the rings may have been thrown overboard.

( Source : www.thesun.co.uk )

British Divers Marine Life Rescue
Tueday 13th

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We have a number of events organised for British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Week. If you are able to attend and help with any of the Whale and Dolphin Roadshows, where we will do a demonstration of refloating a stranded whale, please come and help or if you want to take part in any of the other events please come along. If you think you can help please give me a call to let me know you will be attending.

Thanks

Dave

01736 710244 (home)
07881 688 234 (mobile)
01326 572002 (work)
DavidBall@Cetaceanrescues.freeserve.co.uk

Diary Dates

August

• Sunday 11th, Whale and Dolphin Road show Newquay 3.00pm
• Tuesday 13th, Rock Pool Ramble, snorkelling at Grebe beach Durgan. 2.00pm.
• Wednesday 14th, Whale and Dolphin Roadshow Sennen cove. 3.00pm.
• Thursday 15th, Snorkel Safari Marazion Beach. 2.00pm
• Friday 16th, Whale and Dolphin Roadshow, Swanpool Falmouth. 12.00noon.
• Saturday17th, Shark Day at Porthleven. Sand shark building contest 11.00am
• Sunday 18th, BDMLR Whale and Dolphin Roadshow. Porthleven Lifeboat day
• Monday 19th, Snorkel Safari Roskilly, between Mousehole and Newlyn. 2.00pm.
• Talk on Whales and Dolphins. Silver Dolphin Centre Porthleven 7.00pm
• Sunday 25th, Whale and dolphin road show St Ives.

September

• Saturday 21st Seaquest Cetacean Identification, training day.

Rare whale washes up in South Africa
Tuesday 13th

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A very rare breed of whale has washed up on a South African beach this weekend. Vic Cockcroft, of the country's Centre for Dolphin Studies, says the five-metre-long dead whale that appeared on a Western Cape beach last week is a Longman's beaked whale. "It's amazingly valuable, simply because we know absolutely nothing about the animals because they have only been seen two or three times alive," he said.

Only two other complete carcasses of this kind of whale (Mesoplodon pacificus) have previously been found, as well as three skulls. So the animals remain something of a mystery to researchers.

"We don't know the maximum size, we don't know where they feed or what they feed on. I mean we know absolutely nothing about them, where they occur even," Dr Cockcroft said.

The other two Longman's beaked whale carcasses found also turned up in South Africa, one a decade ago and the other in the early 1980s.

Three skulls have also been found in Somalia, Kenya and Tasmania.

Beak-like mouth. As its name implies, it has a long, beak-like mouth, and is believed to normally inhabit waters far from shore.From the shape of their teeth, scientists believe the whales feed on squid.

Scientists are performing an autopsy on the dead whale, and samples of its flesh have been taken for genetic and other testing. Its skeleton will reportedly be exhibited in a local museum. It is the second odd creature to turn up on a beach in South Africa in recent months.

A rarely seen megamouth shark, a breed only discovered in 1976, washed up on a Western Cape beach just three months ago.

Mass Stranding
Monday 5th

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"The mass stranding, would be interested to know if the cause was due to the Low Frequency Acoustic Systems used by the US Navy had a bearing on the stranding. ? "

Bryan Vallance.

**********************************************************

For the latest on this subject go to :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/2168168.stm

For discussion and further opinions on this subject, go to the following websites ;

International Fund for Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org

Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society - www.wdcs.org.

 

Tony
Exmouth BDMLR Co-ordinator & News/Info Service.

To all Medics in Northeast England from Berwick to the Tees
Monday 5th

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I am arranging a Medic meeting at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Tynemouth on
Saturday, 17th August at 1 p.m.. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the local co-ordination of BDMLR in the extreme north east of England. This will be particularly relevant in light of the possible outbreak of Phocine Distemper Virus that may threaten our seal populations this autumn.

All Medics are most welcome to attend. Please call Zahra at Blue Reef on 0191 258 1031 for directions.

Kind regards,

James Barnett
BDMLR Director and vet

Free Screen Saver!
Monday 5th

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Hello,

Have you seen the excellent screen saver on the WDCS web site it is 'free of charge and is great !?

www.wdcs.org ....... top right hand corner is the download icon follow instructions

Mark Stevens
BDMLR - Director

Seal Handling - Hunstanton Sealife Centre
Monday 5th

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With the threat of another seal virus hitting our coastline, Mark Stevens, Kris Stevens and myself took up the opportunity of some hands on training at the sealife centre at Hunstanton. Set in the coastal area known as the Wash, Hunstanton was very much affected by the Phocine Distemper Virus back in 1988. The centre is currently holding around 10 seal pups, none of which are affected by the virus. These animals have been found stranded on beaches and brought to the centre until they are strong enough to be released back into the wild.

Both Mark and Kris have both handled pups before but this was a whole new learning curve for me.

( Pic : Me doing the easy bit .... by hand )

The day started with a briefing on hygiene and information on how we humans can pass infections from one animal to another. Once Mark was taught how to put wellies on we were underway and washing out the holding enclosures. The pups are all affectionately named after Indian food and one or two may well of been eating it the previous night!!

Then it was the more pleasant task of feeding them by hand, with a couple of them having to be force fed. I was a little apprehensive about this task as these animals can turn their heads like barn owls and I'm fairly fond of my fingers.

Much care has to be taken when transferring from one enclosure to another, scrubbing down and disposing of gloves correctly is imperative.

After a well earned brunch we were then taught how to take temperatures, now this one was really unsure about as I try to do unto others as I would have them do unto me. It goes in where?? how far?? are you sure?? were the questions I was asking and would it try to pay me back as I released it.

( Pic : Mark getting that thermometer in the right end )

After scrubbing up , feeding and scrubbing once again we were debriefed and headed for home, some 125 miles away.

We all had a great day, for me it was a good opportunity to put a face to the names I had heard of or spoken to on the phone and an opportunity to do the things I was taught on the course and read in the text book.

I know feel more confident should the need arise to handle seal pups and have a better understanding of how infections can be spread between animals.

I would very much like to thank Lucie White for setting up this opportunity and Kieran Copeland and staff at the sealife centre for having us and sharing their knowledge.

If any other medics get offered the chance to do some hands on training go for it.

Geoff. Graham

Heartbreaking end as 56 whales die - Cape Cod
Monday 5th

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Pictures at bottom of article.

For two days hundreds of marine scientists and volunteers struggled to rescue a pod of pilot whales that repeatedly beached on Cape Cod.

By Wednesday, however, despite exhausting efforts to save the whales, all 56 had died or were humanely put to death to end their suffering.

There was no way these animals would have made it, officials said.

And scientists were no closer to understanding what causes pilot whales to beach themselves, a mysterious behavior that appears to be more common in Cape Cod Bay than anywhere else in the world.

"It is part of nature and it has been happening for hundreds of years," said Kristen Patchett of the Cape Cod Stranding Network.

Experts planned to perform necropsies on some of the dead whales Wednesday and Thursday and study blood samples in hopes of better understanding what drove this pod to beach.

Most of the carcasses were to be towed out to deeper waters for disposal, officials said.

"It's very disappointing," Patchett said. "We would have liked to help them more."

The strandings began Monday morning on Chapin Beach off Dennis. Experts said 55 pilot whales apparently were caught in shallow waters by an outgoing tide.

Volunteers from the New England Aquarium, the Cape Cod Stranding Network, the Center for Coastal Studies, and others worked feverishly to protect the animals from the blazing hot sun until the tide came in Monday afternoon.

They were able to tag and push 46 of them out to deeper waters, and hailed the effort as a success even though nine others had died. A 10th was found dead on another nearby beach.

The surviving animals, however, beached themselves again Tuesday morning some 20 miles up the coast on Lieutenant's Island off Wellfleet.

"It was a very bad sign that they came back," said Chris Bailey, a spokesman for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Rescuers converged on the island's remote mudflats, trying to cool down the whales until high tide.

Of those 46, more than 20 again were pushed out to deeper water during Tuesday afternoon's incoming tide, but almost immediately turned back toward shore and again stranded in an inlet behind the Massachusetts Audubon Society Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellfleet.

By Tuesday evening after some had already died, it was decided the survivors had suffered so much stress because of the earlier strandings that they had to be euthanized.

"The situation seems to be, in a word, final," Bailey said.

Scott Weber of the New England Aquarium in Boston said that after the repeated strandings, the whales probably hemorrhaged internally as their great weight crushed organs and blood vessels, and they suffered brain damage as their internal body temperature soared.

It was a heartbreaking end of a long two days for rescuers.

"When you combine the heat, the humidity, the exhaustion, the dehydration with a feeling of utter defeat, it has made for a very long, very sad day," said Katie Touhey of the Cape Cod Stranding Network.

Pilot whale strandings have long baffled scientists.

Tony LaCasse, a spokesman for the New England Aquarium, said there are many theories as to why these mammals beach. Pilot whales are social animals known to follow their leaders, even to death.

LaCasse said one of the animals in the original beaching on Monday was a pregnant female who may have been emitting distress signals and beached. The rest of the pod may have been responding to her calls, he said.

Another theory as to why so many pilot whales beach in the inner cape is its cocked arm-like shape, according to Charles "Stormy" Mayor of the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown.

"It hooks out and kind of captures animals," he said.

Two of the largest strandings of pilot whales in the world occurred on Cape Cod in 1916 and 1926.

The whales also may have been chasing their favorite food -- squid -- in the cape's shallow waters and became trapped on tidal flats by the outgoing tide.

Pilot whales, which travel in pods of up to 200, are not an endangered species. Prized for the oil in their heads, they were hunted in the bay until the 1930s.

Males can grow to about 20 feet, while females are a bit smaller.

( Source : www.upi.com )

Stranded whales put down by vet
Friday 2nd

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An overnight vigil with eight stranded false killer whales on the West Australian south coast has ended in tragedy for the animals with the survivors put down.

Local fisherman came across 58 whales stranded at Tooregullup Beach, about 180km east of Albany, late yesterday afternoon, said WA Conservation and Land Management (CALM) department executive director Keiran McNamara.

[ 'file photo' - previous mass stranding Australia ]

The fishermen managed to return six of the whales to the water but 44 of the animals had already died, Mr McNamara said.

Rescue attempts had been hampered because of the sighting of a white pointer shark in the area.

The waters off the beach were also a breeding ground for bronze whaler sharks, he said.

Wildlife officers and a vet from Albany tried to stabilise the eight animals remaining on the beach overnight and planned to rescue them in the morning.

However, by first light two further animals had died with the rest extremely weak and distressed.

The most humane action had been to euthanase the whales, Mr McNamara said.

"The decision to call off rescue attempts is not taken lightly," he said in a statement.

"It is a hard call and is only made after every possible avenue of success has been explored."

Samples from the animals had been taken for a post mortem.

Very soft sand and a rising tide were preventing a machine coming in to move the 52 whale bodies which were now stuck on the beach, a CALM spokesman said.

However, an air survey of the area about 100km either side of the beach revealed no evidence of further strandings, the spokesman said.

False killer whales are between 4.5 and 5.5 metres long and can weigh around one tonne.Found worldwide in tropical and temperate waters, they favour deep water but occasionally come close to the beach.

( Source : www.news.com.au )

Hello,

I have recently taken over the area co-ordinator position covering the ME and CT postcodes of Kent.

Could you put some info. out to let medics in these areas know how to contact me and let them know that I will be in touch with them as soon as I receive their details. ( coming soon via Mark Stevens. )

Many thanks.

Geoff. Graham

01634 681902 HOME

07919 260255 MOBILE

geoff.g@blueyonder.co.uk

Hello,

Can any of our readers of the newsletter please contact me if they are certified Trainers in any of the following: FAW, Paediatric BLS, AP AED Manual Handling, enclosing their training C.V. and list of courses they are able to teach.

I have set up a new email address to deal with this firstaid@bdmlr.org.uk

Thanks in advance to all.

Nick Kail

nick@bdmlr.org.uk

Postmaster BDMLR ( Computer Wizz ! )

Hi,

Please sign our online petition http://www.petitiononline.com/ecbc2000/petition.html

We would be grateful if you would also forward this information to your members/ friends/ family, requesting that they do likewise.

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Mary & Alan Stuart

ECBC
http://www.eurocbc.org