77 Pilot Whales Die in Mass Stranding

A pod of 77 pilot whales has died after stranding on Tresness Beach in Orkney. This incident marks one of the most significant mass strandings in recent decades. Efforts to rescue the whales, spearheaded by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), revealed that 12 of the whales were still alive upon discovery. Despite attempts to refloat them, the decision was ultimately made to euthanize the surviving whales due to the failure of rescue efforts.

The stranded pod included whales of various ages and sizes, from large males measuring up to seven meters to females, calves, and juveniles. While the exact cause of the stranding remains unknown, experts speculate that one whale may have encountered trouble, prompting the rest of the pod to follow.

Local authorities and experts, including those from the Scottish SPCA and marine vets from the Scottish mainland, converged on Sanday to assess the situation. However, high tide and soft sand hindered rescue efforts, making it impossible to right the whales effectively. The whales needed to be upright and quickly moved back into the water to survive, but the challenging conditions on the beach thwarted these efforts.

Emma Neave-Webb of the BDMLR described the scene as emotionally overwhelming and “really quite horrible.” Despite pouring sea water over the whales to keep them alive, rescuers were forced to face the grim reality that the whales could not be saved.

This stranding is the largest in Scotland since the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) was founded in 1995. Similar events have occurred in recent years, including a stranding of 55 pilot whales on Lewis last year, where only one whale was successfully refloated. The largest recorded stranding in the UK occurred in 1927, involving 126 false killer whales in the Dornoch Firth.

Orkney Islands Council is now working with community representatives to determine the best method for disposing of the whale bodies, considering potential public health implications. Previous approaches have allowed nature to take its course, but the scale of this event may necessitate more definitive actions, such as burying the whales on-site or relocating them to a designated grave site.

Andrew Brownlow of SMASS noted an increase in the frequency and size of mass-stranding events in Scotland over the past decade, raising concerns about the factors contributing to these occurrences. The rise in such events could be attributed to a growing population of marine animals or increased exposure to environmental hazards.

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