A pod of 77 pilot whales beached in Scotland on Thursday, the largest such incident since 1995.
The devastating situation was reported to British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) at around 10.45am on Sunday when the pilot whale washed up on the island of Sanday in the Orkney archipelago. according to When medical teams arrived they found at least 77 of the majestic creatures high up on the beach, suggesting they had been there for several hours.
When the BDMLR arrived, only 12 animals were still alive and the decision was made to euthanize them at approximately 6:12pm local time due to their deteriorating condition and fears of death. Injury.
“The substrate they were on was also incredibly soft, so when the tide swept them away they sank deeper into the sand and unfortunately were unable to resurface under their own power,” the BDMLR wrote.
Our hearts go out to our colleagues, rescuers and local community in Orkney, Scotland, where today a mass stranding of over 70 pilot whales occurred. It is difficult to stay focused in such heartbreaking situations. Sadly, all of the whales have lost their lives.
Photo: British Divers Marine Life Rescue pic.twitter.com/ReJSkWo97i
— Marine Connection (@MC_org) July 11, 2024
😔 77 long-finned pilot whales were stranded and tragically killed today on the island of Sanday in Orkney – what a loss for so many whales, on top of the 592 already killed by those cruel bastards in the Faroe Islands in the last 8 weeks. #Don't go to the Faro Islands pic.twitter.com/iqSmuFBy6h
— Andy Lawson (@mtnsofscotland) July 11, 2024
77 pilot whales were stranded today on Sanday. We helped medical staff from BDMLR in Orkney bring kit to the scene and begin recording their details. It was heartbreaking to see 12 still alive. Medical staff are on scene and help is coming from further afield. pic.twitter.com/N3aAGjigub
— 59 Degrees North (@BlueprintJon) July 11, 2024
The Scottish Marine Mammal Stranding Program (SMASS) plans to recover as many of the bodies as possible and dissect them, as the team hopes to understand why so many of them have stranded. The group includes males, females, calves and juveniles. according to To the BBC. (Related article: Over 200 whales wash up on remote beach)
It's believed that many whales beach themselves because they're sick or injured, but other causes include bad weather, old age, hunting too close to the shoreline and navigational errors. To tell Florida wildlife: Large herds can get left behind when a sick member of the herd seeks help from closer to shore.
