Public urged not to push stranded marine animals back into sea

Kaohsiung, March 3 (CNA) Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) released a report on whale, dolphin and sea turtle strandings on Monday that is urging people not to push beached animals back into the water and instead report them to the authorities to increase their chances of survival.

"Cetaceans and sea turtles are lung-breathing animals," said the report published by the OAC's Marine Animal Rescue Network (MARN) and Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA).

"If they are pushed back into the sea without being evaluated, they may be unable to float to breathe due to physical exhaustion, or they may lose balance and inhale seawater into their respiratory tract, causing harm similar to drowning in humans," the report warned.

There were 159 whale and dolphin strandings reported in Taiwan in 2024, with 135 of those animals found dead and 24 discovered alive, the OAC said.

In addition, 237 dead and 88 living sea turtles were found washed up on Taiwan's beaches last year.

The report said that in at least four cases of live whale and dolphin strandings, members of the public attempted to push the animals back into the water before professional rescue teams arrived, which resulted in the animals drowning or dying from other injuries.

The OCA urged the public to contact Taiwan's Coast Guard by calling 118 or local marine conservation authorities if they come across stranded or endangered marine wildlife.

The report also noted that the highest numbers of strandings last year occurred in Taiwan's outlying Lienchiang County (more commonly known as the Matsu Islands) and Yilan County on Taiwan's east coast.