Strandings
What is the proportion of live vs. dead strandings? Between January and December 2023, RALVT recorded 2.5% of live strandings and 97.5% of dead strandings.
The map above shows the strandings that were reported to us.
What is a stranding?
A stranding is a situation where a marine animal, alive or dead, beaches on shore and can’t return to the water without aid. In Portugal most strandings are of cetaceans (whales and dolphins), marine turtles or marine birds. Occasionally, strandings of other marine mammals occur, such as seals.
Live stranding
Live strandings are very complex situations, and each case is different and unique. Usually, animals that beach alive aren’t very healthy and for this reason it may not always be possible to return them to the sea. The main goal is always to assess the animal’s heath status and the viability of its recovery/refloating. In cases where the recovery/refloating of the animal is not viable, measures are taken to reduce its suffering.
Dead stranding
A dead animal being beached will always be an important fact, because the real number of animals dying is much higher than the number of animals that wash up on the beaches. However, the number of samples we collect in each stranding depends on the decomposition state of the stranded animal. Some of the data we collect includes biometric data (size and weight), biological/tissue samples and cause of death.
O que fazer se encontrar um animal arrojado?
