All beached whales in Scotland perish
No Grindwhale out of the dozens that stranded on the Scottish Orkney Island Sanday has survived. Twelve animals had to be euthanized, as British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) reported. Their condition had deteriorated given the numerous hours they spent on land.
"They suffered compressions from their own weight, and there is a high likelihood that they inhaled water with the incoming tide," it was further stated. "The ground they lay on is also incredibly soft, meaning they sank deeper into the sand than the tide covered them, unfortunately preventing them from saving themselves."
In total, 77 Grindwhales - also known as Pilotwhales - had stranded on Sanday. Sixty-five were already dead when rescue teams arrived.
Animal welfare organizations and medical personnel plan to perform autopsies on some of the animals. Emma Neave-Webb from BDMLR told the BBC that it would require "a massive undertaking from multiple agencies" to retrieve the whales. Local farmers are ready to transport the stranded whales with tractors and trailers. Investigations are set to begin today to determine "what on earth happened here," Neave-Webb said.
Despite the collective efforts of animal welfare organizations and local farmers using tractors and trailers, neither Scotland nor Wales could offer a suitable location for the relocation of the stranded Grindwhales. The saver for these marine mammals unfortunately lies in understanding the reasons behind their mass stranding, as efforts to save them proved ineffective.
