77 whales washed ashore in Orkney, Scotland. It is one of the largest mass strandings in recent decades.
British Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) divers found that 12 animals on Tresness Beach on Sanday Island were still alive at the time of the stranding. But they were euthanized after rescuers failed to return them to the sea. Experts say it is too early to know what caused the stranding, reports the BBC.
–The biggest stranding in Scotland since 1995–
By the way, this is the biggest stranding in Scotland since 1995, despite the fact that there have been some of a similar scale in recent years. According to the Natural History Museum of Great Britain, the largest stranding occurred in 1927, when 126 whales died.
A spokesman for Orkney Island Council said discussions were ongoing with community representatives about how best to dispose of animal carcasses: “In previous circumstances where whales have stranded on our coast and subsequently died, our environmental health team’s approach to disposing of the carcasses has been is 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 consequences for public health, is that clearer measures will need to be taken, such as burying them where they are or removing the bodies to a mass grave elsewhere.”
Photo: illustration/British Divers Marine Life Rescue
