A group of 55 whales has died after being washed up on a Scottish beach in the region’s worst stranding, marine experts said Monday.
Marine rescue, coastguards and police were called to Tray Moor beach on the Isle of Lewis in northwest Scotland, following reports that dozens of mammals were in distress in the area since early Sunday, reports Al-Rai daily.
The non-profit British Divers Marine Life Rescue found only fifteen whales alive, a mixture of adults and juveniles, and attempted to refloat two whales that were more vital in a deeper area of water.
But by Sunday afternoon, rescue teams had decided the remaining whales had to be culled for reasons of survival, after considering the shallow beach conditions, rough waves and the length of time they had been out of the water.
The charity said the pod may have followed a female ashore when she was having problems giving birth.
The divers added in a statement: “This type of whale, called flying whales, is famous for the strong social bonds that bring together its members, and often when one whale encounters difficulty and strands, the rest of the flock follows. It’s a sad result for this group, and of course not the result we were all hoping for.
Experts will begin to perform autopsies to determine the cause of the whales’ deaths.
It will be a “huge undertaking,” said Andrew Brownlow of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, which monitors and records stranding of marine mammals and whales.
“In terms of the number of animals, this is the largest delinquency we have recorded,” he told the BBC.
He added that experts will take samples and data from some whales, and the bodies will be transported to a landfill and buried after completing the autopsy process.