A pod of 77 pilot whales has tragically died after washing ashore on Tresness Beach in Sanday, Orkney, in what may be the largest mass stranding in decades. The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) discovered that 12 of the whales were still alive when found, but efforts to refloat them failed, leading to the difficult decision to euthanize them.
The stranded pod
The pod consisted of whales of all ages and genders, including males up to seven meters (22 feet) in length, as well as females, calves, and juveniles. Experts have not yet identified the cause of the stranding, but it is believed that one whale may have encountered trouble, prompting the rest of the pod to follow.
BDMLR medics from Orkney and Inverness arrived to assist in the rescue operation. Neave-Webb, a BDMLR medic, noted that the whales might have been stranded for an extended period, significantly reducing their chances of survival. She described the scene as “quite horrible and very emotional.” Rescuers attempted to keep the whales alive by pouring seawater over them, but ultimately, the decision was made to euthanize the surviving whales to end their suffering.
This stranding event could be the largest recorded in Scotland since the inception of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) in 1995. Similar incidents have occurred in recent years, including a mass stranding last year on Lewis, where 55 pilot whales died. Of those, only 15 were alive when they washed ashore, and just one was successfully refloated while the others had to be euthanized. According to the Natural History Museum, the largest recorded stranding in the UK occurred in 1927 when 126 out of more than 130 false killer whales died in the Dornoch Firth in the Highlands.
Expert opinions and public advisory
Andrew Brownlow of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme commented on the increasing frequency of such events in Scotland. “Earlier it used to be strange to have a mass stranding event, certainly of this size, but now this is very common,” Brownlow told the BBC. “The increase in strandings is a worrying trend. It’s unclear if this is due to a rise in animal populations or new environmental threats.” The public has been asked to stay away from the area while post-mortem examinations are carried out to determine the cause of the stranding. This incident highlights the growing concerns about marine life and the environmental challenges they face.