Assessment of flipper tag site healing in gray seal pups using thermography.

Paterson, W; Pomeroy, P P; Sparling, C E; Moss, S; Thompson, D E; Currie, John; McCafferty, D J

doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00400.x

Authors

W Paterson

P P Pomeroy

C E Sparling

S Moss

D E Thompson

Prof John Currie J.Currie@napier.ac.uk
Professor

D J McCafferty

Abstract

Infrared thermography was used tomonitor the healing process at flipper tag sites in gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) pups.We tested the hypothesis that tagging would
result in a rise in surface temperature associated with tag site healing processes compared with adjacent untagged areas of the flipper. Prior to tagging thermal images were recorded of the dorsal side of hind flippers of pups tagged in early lactation (n = 20) and at weaning (n = 19) on the Isle of May, Scotland (56◦11�N, 02◦33�W) from October to December 2008. Pups tagged in early lactation were sampled again at late lactation, at weaning and then every 3 d for an average of 29 d post-tagging while pups tagged at weaning were sampled every 3 d for an average of 17 d post-tagging. Tag sites were also scored for signs of infection or swelling at each sampling. Results showed that (1) small temperature increases associated with wound healing processes around the tag site returned to pre tagging levels before animals leave the island and (2) there was little evidence of tagging-related infections or tag loss irrespective of age at tagging.

Citation

Paterson, W., Pomeroy, P. P., Sparling, C. E., Moss, S., Thompson, D. E., Currie, J., & McCafferty, D. J. (2011). Assessment of flipper tag site healing in gray seal pups using thermography. Marine Mammal Science, 27, 295-305. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00400.x

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Mar 26, 2010
Publication Date	2011-04
Deposit Date	Jan 13, 2016
Publicly Available Date	Jan 13, 2016
Print ISSN	0824-0469
Electronic ISSN	1748-7692
Publisher	Wiley
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	27
Pages	295-305
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00400.x
Keywords	tagging; marine mammal; wound; infrared imaging; gray seal; Halichoerus grypus;
Public URL	http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/9425
Publisher URL	http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00400.x/pdf