Remaining 12 pilot whales euthanised as 77 die in shocking mass stranding

July 11, 2024 at 6:40 pm

All 77 pilot whales in Sanday have now died in one of the biggest strandings in recent memory. (BDMLR)

Sadness has swept the county amid the news of a mass whale stranding in Sanday — thought to be one of the worst Scotland has seen in living memory.

A total of 77 pilot whales were discovered on the beach at Tresness, thought to have beached in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Only 12 were alive by the time medics from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) rushed to the scene and fought around the clock to keep the animals alive.

However, it has been confirmed this evening that the 12 whales have been euthanised.

In a statement, BDMLR said: “Sadly the remaining 12 pilot whales have been euthanised due to their condition deteriorating from the many hours they have spent stranded on the beach resulting in crush injury from their own weight and the high likelihood that they have inhaled water with the incoming tide.

“The substrate they’re on is also incredibly soft meaning they have sunk even deeper into the sand when the tide washed over them, so they unfortunately weren’t able to refloat themselves.”

Attempts will now be made in order to determine the circumstances of the stranding and just why 77 seemingly healthy whales beached themselves.

The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) will attempt to recover as many bodies as possible for post-mortem sampling and examination.

Determining the reason for the tragic incident may take some time, BDMLR has warned.

“There are no obvious indications as to why they all stranded today, and it may be some time before full results are available due to the huge task of conducting these examinations.”

As many across the county share their heartbreak over the situation, and hopes that some may still survive, Orkney Islands Council has said the discussions are ongoing as to how the stranding will be dealt with from an environmental perspective.

In a statement released on Thursday evening, the council said: “Today’s mass pilot whale stranding on Sanday is devastating and our thoughts are with those who are on the scene who are dealing with this difficult incident.

“The current advice from them is that the public should stay away from the scene to allow their work to take place — and we’d ask all to take heed of that request.

“In previous circumstances where whales have beached on our shores and subsequently died, the approach from our Environmental Health team around disposing of the body has been to allow nature to take its course — with the public advised to stay away from the area.

“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. We’re currently in discussion with community representatives on this and hope to provide an update in due course.”