25 pilot whales die after mass stranding

MORE than two dozen whales have died after a mass stranding in an estuary of a sea loch in the Scottish Highlands.

The bodies of 25 whales from a pod of 70 were found yesterday morning after they were stranded at low tide on Friday at the Kyle of Durness in the most north-westerly corner of Scotland.

Rescuers have managed to return 44 pilot whales to open water.

Attempts to refloat the whales began on Friday night and continued into the early hours of yesterday morning.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) medics, the coastguard and the navy managed to rotate some of the whales that were upside down to prevent them from drowning when the tide came in.

The BDMLR said many of the whales had become stranded on their sides, on top of each other and upside down and were inhaling sand.

Vets from as far away as Newcastle travelled to the remote loch and nine sets of pontoons were delivered to the site on Friday night, but they were not used as the estuary flooded too quickly.

Divers from a Royal Navy bomb disposal squad were in the area and took part in the rescue, watched by dozens of people from the shore. The members of the Northern Diving Group formed a human chain to herd the whales into deeper water.

The water receded yesterday morning, and the bodies were discovered onshore. It is believed they died the night before but were not discovered until first light.

Three whales were found alive, but had to be euthanased by vets as they were too weak to be refloated.

Post-mortem examinations to try to determine both the cause of the stranding and the deaths of the whales will now be carried out by pathologists, assisted by BDMLR medics.

Teams from BDMLR continued to search the coast, lochs and headlands yesterday for evidence of the other whales, who it is hoped have returned to open water.

Jamie Dyer, of the BDMLR, which has around 20 personnel on the ground, said the fact only 25 had died was good news.

He said: "It's a pretty good percentage in as far as mass strandings of pilot whales go.

"But it doesn't really feel that way when you see the carcasses or see whales stranded on a mud bank. But sometimes it's a battle to get any of them back out."

He added that rescuers would remain in the area for "the best part of the day".

"Now it's about trying to monitor where the whales have gone to make sure they haven't become stranded elsewhere on the coastline outside the loch."

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "This has been a distressing incident and it is tragic so many have died. However, if it were not for the valiant efforts of volunteers and marine experts, many more could have lost their lives, and I would like to pay tribute to their fantastic efforts.

"This is a team of highly committed individuals who have worked tirelessly around the clock to rescue these stranded whales and lead them to safety, and their efforts are to be commended. Everyone who cares for our marine wildlife owes them a huge debt."