About This Project
Dolphins are charismatic animals that can be found around Ireland. Many factors can contribute to stranding events including disease, risky feeding behaviour and environmental stressors. Our study aims to assess the health of dolphins stranded alive in Ireland using non-invasive sampling, and evaluate their suitability for release. The project will train live stranding volunteer responders to collect baseline health data to inform conservation efforts.
Ask the Scientists
Join The DiscussionWhat is the context of this research?
Many factors can contribute to dolphin stranding events including diseases and disturbances by humans. Interestingly, apparently healthy animals are more prone to strand in coastal areas with large tidal range due to their feeding behaviour. In these areas, dolphins can become trapped in shallow waters or dried out shoreline for up to 8 hours before they are able to swim to open sea. This entrapment causes detrimental effects on their health and welfare, thus it is crucial to assess their health status promptly and determine the level of care needed. If animals are deemed to be releasable, they will be relocated by the team.
Since 2020, at least 350 cetaceans have stranded alive, 147 of which were stranded in the Mullet Peninsula and the Brandon bay area. Unfortunately little is known about their baseline health which is especially concerning as temperature rising and acidification of the oceans caused by climate change threatens marine life.
What is the significance of this project?
Our project aims to investigate the presence of selected viruses and bacteria able to cause severe diseases in cetaceans. To that end our team and volunteers will collect blow samples, as respiratory diseases are considered one of the main causes of illness in cetaceans. We will also collect faecal samples to characterize the gut microbial communities (microbiota), as these play an essential role in maintaining animal’s health and wellbeing. Non-invasive methods will be used to limit stress of wild dolphins.
Cetaceans worldwide face many threats including diseases, climate change, chemical pollution and habitat loss, with many species being vulnerable or endangered and in need of effective conservation measures. Our citizen-led study will generate pioneer data on the health status of wild dolphins that live-strand in the west coast of Ireland while promoting dolphins' health, welfare, conservation and community engagement.
What are the goals of the project?
Our project aims to characterize dolphins stranding in two hotspots on the west of Ireland by performing visual assessment of animals (species, sex, age, body condition, skin, eyes, etc.) and record their respiration rate. Additionally, we will investigate their blow for the presence of viruses (e.g. morbillivirus, herpesvirus) and bacteria (e.g. Brucella spp.) and faeces to characterize their gut microbiota. Collected data will provide baseline information on their health status and help us understand the profile of stranded animals. All these novel data will inform researchers, policy-makers and the public, ultimately contributing to wild dolphins conservation.
Our recording and sampling will start as soon as training has been developed and delivered to our community volunteers, and a live stranding event occurs in any of these two hotspots.
Budget
This project is critical to improving the IWDG live stranding response for dolphins, particularly in two hotspots on the west coast of Ireland, where apparently healthy dolphins strand due to navigational mistakes while feeding. Our work will generate new information about the health and welfare of wild dolphins in Irish waters and increase our understanding of dolphins in general by evaluating their body condition and investigating the microbiological characteristics of their blow and gut.
Funding is essential to train and equip first responder volunteers to gather critical health data and collect blow and fecal samples while ensuring minimal stress to the dolphins. Additionally, equipping volunteers with rescue equipment will help relocate dolphins back to the sea quickly and calmly. As this is a citizen-led project, providing education to local community members is vital to ensuring effective involvement in dolphin conservation efforts.
Endorsed by
Project Timeline
Development of new training materials to be use during the advanced training courses will take approximately 2 months. After that we will be able to deliver of 2 advanced training courses for volunteers which will take place before the end of September. The response to live strandings and blow sampling will occur over a period of 2 years or less if mass strandings occur.
Mar 17, 2025
Project Launched
Jun 30, 2025
New training materials developed
Sep 30, 2025
Delivery of 2 advanced training courses
Jul 22, 2026
Blow samples analises
Jun 30, 2027
Respond to live stranding events (ongoing)
Meet the Team
Affiliates
Ana Vale
Dr Ana Vale is an Assistant Professor in Veterinary Public Health at the University College Dublin School of Veterinary Medicine. From her early days she has shown a keen interest in all animals with a soft stop for wildlife. After graduating from the School of Veterinary Medicine in Lisbon (Portugal) she decided to work with companion animals while pursuing a Masters degree in Conservation Medicine in Murdoch University (Australia). In 2013 she moved to Dublin (Ireland) and started her PhD journey investigating antibiotic resistance in production animals and wildlife. After completing her PhD she realized she would like to pursue a career in academia and develop more research on wildlife health and conservation. Currently she teaches veterinary medicine students and researches animal health.
Ana is a strong One Health advocate interested in promoting animal health and the environment.
Gemma O'Connor
I’m Gemma O'Connor, coordinator of the IWDG Live Stranding Network across Ireland, where I oversee the response to live cetacean strandings from coast to coast. I live just over 2km from one of Ireland's main stranding hotspots on the Mullet Peninsula in Co. Mayo, which has given me extensive experience in responding to live strandings, particularly involving common dolphins.
I’m passionate about improving our response efforts, and I actively seek new knowledge by learning from other organisations’ experiences worldwide. This helps ensure that our strategies at IWDG are aligned with global best practices. I design and deliver training workshops for volunteers across Ireland, sharing the critical rescue skills that are essential for effective responses. Based on my hands-on experience, I’ve also contributed to the development of specialised rescue equipment, tailored to the unique challenges we face during stranding events. I’m responsible for mobilising volunteers, assessing dolphins, gathering data, and advising on the best course of action to ensure the best possible outcome for the stranded animals.
Simon Berrow
Dr Simon Berrow has been working on cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in Ireland since 1987. He is founder member and current Chief Science Officer, of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (www.iwdg.ie) which co-ordinate All-Ireland long term recording schemes. The data from these schemes support the development of conservation policies and best practice guidelines for the conservation and management of cetaceans in Ireland. He is founder member of the Irish Basking Shark Group formed in 2008 primarily to seek legal protection for sharks in Ireland. He also lecturers at the Atlantic Technological University, Galway contributing to the Applied Freshwater and Marine Biology degree and a number of Masters programmes and currently supervises four PhD candidates. He has over 200 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals to his name and sits on a number of scientific committees including the National Biodiversity Forum.
Stephanie Levesque
I have an MSc in Wild Animal Biology, for which my thesis focused on examining pathological trends among stranded common dolphins in Cape Cod, MA.
I first joined the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group in 2014 as a research assistant monitoring the resident population of bottlenose dolphins in the Shannon Estuary.
I did work as a marine mammal observer, and then became involved in the IWDG stranding scheme. I continue to carry out the bottlenose dolphins surveys on the Shannon, though my main role since December 2020 has been managing the IWDG stranding scheme. I have also managed, and continue to manage, various cetacean post mortem projects in Ireland.
Carlos Sacristán
My primary focus is on studying infectious agents and associated pathologies, particularly emerging infectious diseases with zoonotic potential and diseases affecting wildlife. Through a multidisciplinary approach based on molecular epidemiology, pathology, and other methods (e.g., metagenomics), I contextualize my findings within the concepts of One Health, Public Health, and Conservation Medicine. I have extensive experience in the discovery of novel infectious agents in wildlife.
Sloan Massie
Dr. Sloan Massie is a veterinarian with a strong interest in marine mammal health and welfare. During her studies at University College Dublin's School of Veterinary Medicine, Sloan became actively involved with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and is currently the organization's Welfare Officer. Sloan has extensive hands-on experience with marine mammals in both rehabilitation and captive settings, but she strongly values a conservation-based approach to current threats facing wild cetaceans.
Lab Notes
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Additional Information
Project Backers
- 8Backers
- 13%Funded
- $547Total Donations
- $68.38Average Donation
