Science Advisory Report  2014/046

Euthanasia techniques for small and large cetaceans

Summary

• Several circumstances may require the euthanasia of a cetacean: stranding, entanglement in fishing gear, entrapment in ice, significant injury of a free-swimming cetacean from ship-strike, or a terminally ill animal in a captive situation. However, the most common situation is the presence of a severely debilitated, ill, or injured cetacean that has stranded in shallow water or on shore.
• Although the means to accomplish euthanasia of cetaceans can be difficult, the clear intention is to prevent suffering as much as possible.  Best practices include the following basic elements (in accordance with the guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care, CCAC 2010) for an animal in a terminal state of disease or injury, or which has no hope of survival (e.g. dependent young animal that has lost its mother);
  1. the animal must be treated in a respectful, humane manner at all times;
  2. loss of consciousness must be achieved prior to any significant noxious procedure;
  3. a certain, humane, death must be achieved and confirmed
• Prior to euthanasia, cetaceans must be given a proper physical examination (to the degree possible) by a veterinarian or biologist familiar with cetacean anatomy and physiology in order to assess the situation and pursue the appropriate course of action.
• Specific euthanasia techniques for small cetaceans (best practices in decreasing order of preference) are as follows:
  1. One animal: deep sedation by intramuscular injection followed by euthanasia by:
     1. intravenous injection of a euthanasia drug; or
     2. intracardiac injection of a euthanasia drug; or
     3. gunshot to the brain.
  2. Small number of animals: all animals to be euthanized should first be sedated by intramuscular injection, then euthanized by:
     1. intravenous injection of a euthanasia drug; or
     2. intracardiac injection of a euthanasia drug; or
     3. simultaneous gunshot to the brain of as many of the selected animals as possible, and the rest in rapid sequence.
  3. Large number of animals: do nothing until careful planning has been completed, which has as its purpose the selection of those animals requiring euthanasia and the most rapid simultaneous euthanasia of as many of these animals as possible in the shortest possible time. Considering the difficulty of finding large amounts of the appropriate drugs on short notice, the best options in decreasing order of preference are:
     1. simultaneous gunshot to the brain of as many of the selected animals as possible, and the rest in rapid sequence; confirm that death has occurred for each animal after all have been shot once; reshoot any animal not dead from the first shot; or
     2. intravenous injection of a euthanasia drug; or
     3. intracardiac injection of a euthanasia drug; or
     4. protected natural death with palliative care for those animals which may not be reached in time for euthanasia.
• Specific euthanasia techniques for large cetaceans (best practices in decreasing order of preference), are as follows:
  1. On shore: deep sedation by intramuscular injection followed by euthanasia by:
     1. intracardiac injection of a euthanasia drug or KCl or both; or
     2. explosives; or
     3. protected natural death with palliative care
  2. In water: deep sedation by intramuscular injection followed by protected natural death with palliative care.
• Responders should use a combination of accepted criteria to confirm loss of consciousness and death of a cetacean, regardless of its size.
• Methods of carcass disposal considered should mediate the risk of environmental contamination (e.g. chemical drug residues, lead from ballistics) to the environment, other wildlife, and humans, especially in relation to northern communities where cetacean meat is commonly used for human consumption or dog food.

This Science Advisory Report is from the Euthanasia techniques for Cetaceans teleconferences held on June 23 and 26, 2014. Additional publications from this meeting will be posted on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science Advisory Schedule as they become available.

Complete document (PDF, 372 KB)

Accessibility Notice

This document is available in PDF format. If the document is not accessible to you, please contact the Secretariat to obtain another appropriate format, such as regular print, large print, Braille or audio version.