THE 12 pilot whales which survived following a mass stranding have been euthanised, experts have said.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) received a report of a mass stranding of up to 100 long-finned pilot whales at Tresness beach on the Isle of Sanday, Orkney, just before 11am on Thursday.
Of the 77 whales which were on the beach, only 12 survived with medics mobilised from around the islands and further afield in Scotland in a bid to save them.
READ MORE: Popular Scottish beach issued with 'risk to human health' warning from bacteria
But just after 6pm on Thursday, the BDMLR said the dozen had been euthanised due to the length of time spent on the beach.
“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,” a statement from the agency said.
“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.”
The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) will attempt to recover some of the bodies to undertake post-mortem examinations, with BDMLR saying local farmers are “on standby” to help recover the animals using tractors and trailers.
Emma Neave-Webb of the BDMLR in Orkney told the BBC it would be a “massive multi-agency undertaking” to remove the whales, adding that investigations would begin on Friday to find out “what on earth has happened here”.
READ MORE: Man charged after alleged assault which saw another airlifted to hospital
Neave-Webb said local residents had been “absolutely amazing”, adding: “When you first arrive it’s really quite difficult to take in how many there are and quite what the task is ahead of us.
“It’s really quite emotional when you first arrive.
“We knew some of the animals were still alive, so they were priority, but we had to go through every single animal there.”
The whales, she added, were “moving around quite a bit, thrashing their tails occasionally”, making the environment dangerous for rescue workers.
Local farmers, she said, had been “absolutely brilliant”.
“They’re working with the council at the moment to organise where these animals are going to go.
“It’s a massive undertaking and everyone in the community and further afield has really pulled together to help.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here