This mass stranding event is believed to be the largest to occur in Scotland since 1995.
British Divers Marine Life RescueThe stranded pilot whales that washed ashore on the isle of Sanday in Orkney, Scotland.
Dozens of pilot whales died on a beach in Scotland last week, marking the biggest mass stranding incident in the country in at least 30 years.
An entire pod of 77 pilot whales became stranded on the isle of Sanday on July 11, and by the time the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) arrived at the beach, just 12 of them were still alive. Unfortunately, the surviving creatures’ health declined rapidly, and they had to be euthanized shortly after. The reason for the stranding is still unknown.
The Mass Stranding Of Pilot Whales In Scotland
According to a statement from the BDMLR, the group received a report about the mass stranding around 10:45 a.m. on the morning of July 11, 2024, on the isle of Sanday in Orkney. Immediately, a team was dispatched to check out the situation. Medics arrived to find 77 pilot whales washed up on the beach, with evidence suggesting they had been there for hours by that point.
At the time, 12 of the creatures — which are actually large dolphins — were still alive, and medics assessed their health and attempted to save them, hoping they could refloat the marine mammals when the tide rose.
Unfortunately, the BDMLR posted an update later in the day confirming that the remaining live pilot whales needed to be euthanized due to their deteriorating health after spending many hours stranded on the beach. In addition, the creatures had likely swallowed too much water from the incoming tide.
So far, it’s unclear what caused the mass stranding. However, experts are working to identify the source of the issue.
Why Did The Pilot Whales Wash Ashore?
In their statement, the BDMLR noted that experts from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) were attempting to recover as many of the pilot whales’ bodies as possible to conduct post-mortem examinations and hopefully determine why so many of the creatures washed ashore on the Scottish beach.
Experts told the BBC that, while it hasn’t been confirmed, it is likely that one member in the group got into trouble, prompting the rest of the pod to come to their aid.
Vsevolod/Wikimedia CommonsPilot whales are actually the second-largest species of oceanic dolphins after orcas.
Emma Neave-Webb, a representative from the BDMLR, described the scene as “really quite horrible” and “hugely emotional” as rescuers attempted to keep the pilot whales alive by pouring sea water over them. The decision to euthanize the animals was a difficult one, but it was deemed necessary given the circumstances. There are also public health concerns regarding the whales’ bodies.
“Our assessment in this case, given the scale and the likely public health implications, is that more definite action will need to be taken, for example burying them where they are or removing the bodies to a large grave site elsewhere,” said a spokesperson for the Orkney Islands Council.
These sorts of mass stranding incidents have become increasingly common in recent years. Just last year, a pod of 55 pilot whales died after a stranding on the island of Lewis in northern Scotland.
“It used to be quite unusual to have a mass stranding event, certainly of this size,” said Andrew Brownlow of the SMASS. “But over the last 10 years or so we have seen an increase both in the number of mass stranding events around Scotland and also the size of the mass and the number of animals that it involves.”
Whether these strandings are caused by overpopulation or other hazards in the ocean is unclear, but in either case, it presents a worrying problem for both the whales and local communities.
After learning about this mass stranding of pilot whales in Scotland, read about the infamous exploding whale incident in Florence, Oregon. Then, go inside Shamu’s tragic life and SeaWorld’s history of animal abuse.
