London –
A pod of 55 pilot whales have been found dead in the worst mass stranding of whales in the region, marine experts said Monday.
Marine rescuers, coast guards and police were called in early Sunday morning after reports of dozens of mammals in trouble at Treimour Beach on the Isle of Lewis in northwest Scotland.
This handout photo published by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) shows a pilot whale at North Torsta, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, Sunday 16 July 2023. (Cristina McAvoy/BDMLR via AP)
of UK Divers Marine Life Rescue The researchers found only 15 of the mixed adult-calf whales were still alive, and tried to resurface two of the more active whales that had been submerged.
But by Sunday afternoon, the rescue team had decided, given the shallow beach, rough sea conditions and the length of time the whales had been out of the water, that the remaining whales should be euthanized for their welfare.
The charity said an entire pod may have followed the female whale, which had trouble giving birth, to the beach.
“Pilot whales are notorious for their strong social bonds, and when one whale is in trouble or runs aground, others often follow suit,” the group said in a statement. “It’s a sad result for this pod and clearly not what we all expected.”
Experts will begin post-mortem work Monday to determine the cause of the whale’s death.
This handout photo published by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) shows a pilot whale at North Torsta, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, Sunday 16 July 2023. (Cristina McAvoy/BDMLR via AP)
Andrew Brownlow of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Program said it would be a “tremendous task”. He told the BBC that experts will take samples and data from some of the whales and the bodies will be sent to landfills where post-mortem autopsies will be completed before burial.
