Seven sperm whales stranded in the Natural Reserve of Punta Aderci

On Friday morning the 12^th of September 2014, in the Natural Regional Reserve of Punta Aderci in Vasto, some surfers reported the stranding of 7 sperm whales.

The General Director Fernando Arnolfo and the Scientific Director Giovanni Savini of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise (IZSAM) went quickly to the place of discovery, initiating the participation in the emergency of a team of operators and experts guided by Nicola Ferri, responsible of the Laboratory for Hygiene, Biology and Environmental Technology (LIBITA).

The same morning a crisis unit coordinated by experts of the Italian Association for the study of mammals and marine reptiles NPO (Centro Studi Cetacei Onlus) was activated.

In the afternoon, thanks to the passionate and exemplary work of the men of the Coastguard, the civil protection and the numerous volunteers mostly from NPO, 4 of 7 exemplars succeeded in gaining the open sea to the sight of thousands of persons gathered along the coast.

Overnight, following the indication of Professor Sandro Mazzariol, responsible of the Cetacean stranding Emergency Response Team (CERT) of Padova, the three carcasses were displaced on the beach thanks to the intervention of men and means made available by the district of Vasto.

The exemplars were between 8 and 10 meters long. The day after, the autopsy began in the early morning hours. Each carcass was entrusted to a contact person. IZSAM was appointed to carry out the necroscopy on the carcass of an approximately 9 meters long female. The coordination of the team was entrusted to Giuseppe Marruchella as he is a more experienced technician in this specific sector. The team was composed of Nicola Ferri, Andrea Di Provvido, Pietro Badagliacca and Giuseppe Marruchella himself.

Guido Mosca was involved for the photographical documentation.

Numerous technicians from Experimantal Zooprofilactic Institutes and from Universities participated in the operations. The Experimantal Zooprofilactic Institutes gathered together some years ago in a National Network of Stranding Cetacean coordinated by the Institute of Piemonte, Liguria and Valle d’Aosta.

The National Network had on this occasion the possibility of activation with highly positive results. In this circumstance, also part of the logistic of the Regional Experimental Centre for Fishing and Aquaculture of Termoli was entrusted to IZSAM, as it is a territorial competent Institution.

The fact which happened in the protect area, the first natural reserve on the coastal zone established in Abruzzo, was considered of great seriousness retained rightly as one of the most serious environmental disasters of the Region.