Poop, Snot and Blow: Noninvasive Health Assessment in Cetacean Sanctuaries

Authentic cetacean sanctuaries are places where the autonomy of the whales is a priority. Therefore, studies of their psychology, physiology and behavior, while necessary for responsible care-giving, should be as non-invasive and non-intrusive as possible. Developing methods that do not disturb the whales is an important aspect of sanctuary work, and it can drive innovation in cetacean research in the wild.

In this webinar we explore three cutting-edge health assessment techniques that are already employed in the wild and that will be beneficial to sanctuary whales. And we’ll also discuss how procedures developed at the sanctuary can be used to improve health assessments in the wild.

• Thursday October 21st: 4:00pm Eastern Time
• Register for the webinar here.
  

Participants:

Joining Dr. Lori Marino, President of the Whale Sanctuary Project, will be:

Jeff Foster, who has worked with marine mammals for 45 years and is the Animal Transfer and Rehab Coordinator for the Whale Sanctuary Project. He has developed several techniques used to successfully rehabilitate and conserve cetaceans in the wild. Jeff will discuss his work in collaboration with other experts refining ways to take respiratory samples (blow) from free-ranging orcas in the Salish Sea.

Dr. Deborah Giles, Science and Research Director of Wild Orca, one of the world’s leading experts on the Southern Resident Killer Whale population in Washington state. She collaborates with University of Washington Center for Conservation Biology, collecting and analyzing the feces of the free-ranging southern resident orcas. The samples reveal DNA, stress, reproductive and nutritional hormones, as well as toxicants. (Collecting her samples requires the invaluable help of her famous poop-sniffing dog Eba!)

Dr. Iain Kerr, CEO of Ocean Alliance (founded by Dr. Roger Payne in 1971), an innovator of non-invasive assessment techniques like SnotBot®, a drone-based method of collecting health data non-invasively from free-ranging whales. The blow samples that SnotBot® collects contain DNA, stress and pregnancy hormones, microbiomes, and possibly other indicators of the animal’s health. Iain has run over 40 expeditions in 20 countries and has been recognized as a Visionary Leader by the Annenberg Foundation.

Register for the webinar here.
Bring your questions, too, or send them in advance by email.
And then join us on Thursday October 21st, 2021, at 4 pm Eastern Time.