British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) received a report of a mass stranding of up to 100 long-finned pilot whales on Sanday, Orkney, just before 11 am 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. A similar incident occurred on July 16, 2023, on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, when 55 pilot whales were stranded, with only one surviving.
Pilot whales are incredibly sociable and so it’s possible that one of them stranded and the rest followed, according to Molly Brown of BDMLR. The cause of the stranding remains unknown, but efforts are underway to save the remaining live whales as the tide approaches. The Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme intends to conduct post-mortem investigations to determine the cause of the tragic event.
