Special Issue Survey of Cetaceans in Captive Care

8. Husbandry 377Rescue and RehabilitationOccasionally, institutions might be involved in therescue and rehabilitation of stranded cetaceans. Afacility should participate in rehabilitation only ifadequate accommodations are available. Rescuedanimals will not be housed in the same enclosureas resident animals because they can carrycontagious diseases or parasites and contaminateresident animals. Specific serological tests, suchas Brucella and Morbillivirus, should be carriedout upon arrival for strict quarantine and prior torelease to receive clearance from authorities to proceed.Rescued animals will be housed in a quarantinefacility specifically built for this purpose. TheLSS also preferably will provide separately treatedwater. Rescued animals that are diagnosed withan illness should not be housed in natural facilitieswith other animals as the water system doesnot prevent the spread of disease. Staff will respectstrict hygiene protocols to prevent healthy residentsfrom being infected.Animals that are diagnosed as unreleasable willhave to be housed permanently, meaning that theinstitution might have to provide new accommodationsor transfer the animal to another facility.Rescued animals usually require extra care,observation time, and a lot of dedication from thestaff (survey). Cetaceans all belong to protected speciesand are subject to special regulations concerningrehabilitation and release. Animals belonging toendangered species might be subject to even stricterrules. Special effort can be made to gain scientificinformation that could help protect the species inthe wild. Its reintroduction should be monitoredmedically and behaviourally.LaboratoryMost of the bigger facilities that house a largenumber of cetaceans or other marine mammalshave an in-house veterinary clinic, including alaboratory, a surgery room, and a necropsy roomthat is equipped with a freezer for carcasses.Smaller facilities do not always have clinics,but they usually do have a laboratory. Several surveyedfacilities recommend to have an on-site laboratorythat is equipped to run cytological analysisand, if possible, haematological and biochemicalanalyses as well. Considering the cost of equipmentand the required trained staff, this might bepossible only in the larger facilities. Unfortunately,external analyses are costly and might discouragepreventive medicine.If outside laboratories perform the analyses,they should use established techniques to ensurethe consistency of measured parameters. Priorarrangements can be made with other facilities,zoos, and local veterinary hospitals to use theirsurgery or necropsy rooms and equipment shouldthe need arise.Sweeney (1993) recommended these minimallaboratory items:• Basic medical supplies: syringes, needles,tubes, vials, flexible stomach tubes, funnels,etc.• Pharmacy cabinet• Microscope• Centrifuge• Bacteriological incubator• Medical box with emergency kit• Portable scale or means of assessing animalweight (that can be installed on pool-side)• Autoclave• Equipment to perform water quality tests,including coliform countsOther equipment, such as an endoscope and aportable ultrasound machine, can belong to eitherthe institution or to the consulting veterinarian,but it is recommended that there be access toone. Additional equipment may include a samplefreezer (-70˚ C), a bench or walk-in type freezerto store carcasses, a laminar flow cabinet, a stainlesssteel table with drain, and a portable X-raymachine. The medical laboratory preferablywill be separated from any staff areas for betterhygiene, and it should be equipped with a computerto store biological and behavioural data.Research LaboratoryResearch is vital to any effective conservationprogramme and is recommended to be includedin the design of new marine mammal facilities(Klinowska & Brown, 1986; Sweeney &Samansky, 1995). It can consist of at least oneroom, preferably air conditioned, dry, and properlydrained located adjacent to a pool, with an underwaterwindow for the observation and monitoringof animals, as well as for conducting experimentsFigure 8.6. Dolphin clinic (Photograph from I. Smit)