Daochai Chayanis, Sornying Peerapon, Keawchana Narissara, Manmoo Sareepah, Khumraksa Piyarat, Kaewmong Patchaporn, Ninwat Santi, Upanoi Tipamat, Sukkarun Pimwarang, Suyapoh Watcharapol
Faculty of Veterinary Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand.
Dugong and Seagrass Research Station, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand.
Vet World. 2024 Dec;17(12):2889-2898. doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.2889-2898. Epub 2024 Dec 19.
Cetaceans and sirenians are endangered marine mammals that are threatened by stranding and mortality. In Thailand's Andaman Sea, limited data exist on the causes and patterns of these events. This retrospective study investigated the characterization and underlying causes of cetacean and sirenian mortality events in the Andaman Sea from 2018 to 2023 using information from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Thailand.
Data on 363 stranded marine mammals, including both live and dead strandings, species types, carcass condition, and necropsy findings and diagnoses, were gathered and analyzed to classify and determine the main factors contributing to mortality, encompassing both direct human-related and non-direct human-related causes.
From 2018 to 2023, 231 cetaceans and 132 sirenians were documented, representing six families and 19 species. Of these animals, 18.18% (66/363) were stranded alive and 81.81% (297/363) were found dead. The most common species were dugong () and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (). Detailed postmortem analyses of 107 specimens showed that 17.76% (19/107) of deaths were anthropogenic, affecting 8 sirenians and 11 cetaceans. The majority of deaths were non-anthropogenic, involving 34 sirenians and 54 cetaceans. In addition, 223 stranded animals could not be fully assessed due to carcass condition.
A high cetacean and sirenian mortality rate in the Andaman Sea can be attributed to non-anthropogenic factors. The dugong and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin were the most frequently encountered species. This report enhances our understanding of marine mammal mortality in Thailand and underscores the need for improved health management and diagnostic responses.
鲸目动物和海牛目动物是濒危海洋哺乳动物，面临搁浅和死亡的威胁。在泰国安达曼海，关于这些事件的原因和模式的数据有限。这项回顾性研究利用泰国海洋与海岸资源部的信息，调查了2018年至2023年安达曼海鲸目动物和海牛目动物死亡事件的特征及潜在原因。
收集并分析了363头搁浅海洋哺乳动物的数据，包括活体和死亡搁浅情况、物种类型、尸体状况、尸检结果和诊断，以分类并确定导致死亡的主要因素，包括直接与人类相关和非直接与人类相关的原因。
2018年至2023年期间，记录了231头鲸目动物和132头海牛目动物，分属6个科19个物种。这些动物中，18.18%（66/363）为活体搁浅，81.81%（297/363）被发现死亡。最常见的物种是儒艮（）和印太驼背豚（）。对107个标本的详细尸检分析表明，17.76%（19/107）的死亡是人为造成的，涉及8头海牛目动物和11头鲸目动物。大多数死亡是非人为造成的，涉及34头海牛目动物和54头鲸目动物。此外，由于尸体状况，223头搁浅动物无法进行全面评估。
安达曼海鲸目动物和海牛目动物的高死亡率可归因于非人为因素。儒艮和印太驼背豚是最常遇到的物种。本报告增进了我们对泰国海洋哺乳动物死亡情况的了解，并强调了改善健康管理和诊断应对措施的必要性。
