15 Pilot Whales Euthanized, Total of 55 Died After They Washed Ashore in Scotland; Experts To Carry Post-Mortem

A huge pod of pilot whales died Sunday. According to marine experts, the whales washed ashore on a beach in Scotland were the worst whale stranding in the area.

Pilot Whales Stranded in Scotland

Following reports that scores of the mammals were in trouble early on Sunday at Traigh Mhor beach on the Isle of Lewis in northwest Scotland, the coast guard, police, and marine rescuers were summoned there, The Mercury News reported.

According to the organization, the pod may have followed her onto the sand when a female whale was having trouble giving birth.

In a Sunday night update, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) reported that one of the dead whales appeared to have a vaginal prolapse. This made them believe that the entire pod became trapped due to one female giving birth.

Due to pilot whales' deep social ties, the others frequently join the one that strands when it encounters difficulties. Unfortunately, the entire pod suffered and got stranded.

On Monday, experts will start performing post-mortem procedures to ascertain the reason for the whales' demise. The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme's Andrew Brownlow described it as a "monumental task."

This is the most animals that have become casualties that we've got, Brownlow told BBC.

Experts will collect samples and data from some of the whales. After the post-mortem is over, the bodies of some of the whales will be moved to a landfill site and buried.

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Pilot Whales That Survived Were Euthanized

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue found 15 whales - a mixture of adults and calves - still alive. They attempted to refloat one of the whales, only to find it further down the beach.

Three whales died later, leaving 12 alive - eight adults and four calves.

The local vet, the Coastguard, Fire and Rescue, and a forensics vet decided at around 15:30 that it was too risky to refloat the other animals due to the shallow shore and rough surf conditions.

The decision was made to euthanize the pilot whales for their welfare because of how long they had been out of the water and the unfavorable circumstances.

Earlier, BDMLR's Welfare and Conservation Director Dan Jarvis told BBC Scotland that the whales' chances of survival decreased the longer they were on the shore.

He explained that pilot whales cannot support their weight on land. Thus, they can therefore crush themselves to death if they become trapped.

Normally, pilot whales don't approach the shore. However, they reportedly could be confused, upset about what caused them to become stranded, upset about being stranded, and upset at being surrounded by relatives who have passed away.

The incident is reportedly one of the largest in the past two decades. According to a Comhairle spokeswoman, the public is urged to heed police advice and avoid Traigh Mhor. The Comhairle has spoken with experts and collaborates with partner organizations to clean the beach.