Nearly 80 whales die after getting stranded on beach in Scotland

By Laura Elvin via SWNS

Nearly 80 whales died following a mass stranding on a beach in Scotland.

Rescue teams rushed to the Isle of Sanday in Orkney after they received reports up to 100 long-finned pilot whales were stuck on the sand on June 11.

When British Divers Marine Life Rescue arrived only 12 of 77 animals they found were still alive and videos show them moving on the beach.

But despite rescue efforts, the remaining dozen had to be euthanized after they became too injured.

Experts said the hours they spent on the sand had caused "crush injuries from their own weight" and they had likely inhaled water from the incoming tide, said the BDMLR.

The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme is now attempting to recover as many bodies for a post-mortem into why they became stranded.

A spokesperson for the BDMLR said last night (11): "The substrate they’re on is 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.

"There are no obvious indications as to why they all stranded today, and it may be some time before full results are available due to the huge task of conducting these examinations."

The team was alerted to the stranding at 10.45 am yesterday and immediately sent rescuers to meet medics who were already on their way.

A spokesperson for the charity said the animals were "high up" on the beach and had "evidently been stranded for several hours already".

"With the very limited resources and people immediately available, health assessments and first aid were provided to the surviving animals as the incoming tide approached them," a spokesperson said.

The charity thanked the volunteers and locals for their help with the "distressing" stranding.