Fifty-five out of the 56 pilot whales that stranded on the west coast of Scotland's Outer Hebrides archipelago died, making it the largest mass whale stranding in the history of the United Kingdom.
The incident occurred on the Traigh Mhor beach of Lewis Island, one of the islands in the archipelago.
The news mentioned that last Saturday night a pod of whales was spotted swimming close to the shore, and on Sunday morning, it was recorded that the pod of whales beached.
In an effort to rescue the stranded pilot whales found lifeless on the beach due to the receding tide, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue , Scotland's Marine Animal Stranding Scheme , and various public organizations launched a rescue operation.
SMASS official Mariel ten Doeschate stated in a press release that upon their arrival at the scene, they first flipped the whales back into the water and checked their vital signs. She mentioned that they were able to rescue two live whales, but unfortunately, one whale's condition was very serious and could not be saved.
Mariel ten Doeschate, explaining that they managed to rescue two live whales, mentioned that one of the whales swam away, while the other one beached again and died.
The rescue team stated that out of the 55 dead whales, two were newborns, and some female whales were pregnant. In a statement by BDMLR, they expressed that almost the entire pod was presumed to have died, and the shallow water and harsh winds made it difficult to rescue even the live stranded whales.
During the afternoon hours, euthanasia was performed on the stranded whales showing signs of life, as the rescue efforts were deemed unsuccessful and to prevent further suffering.
The rescue team believes that a female whale struggling to give birth may have led the entire pod to beach. SMASS official Andrew Brownlow, speaking to The Scotsman, stated that at the beginning of the rescue operation, 15 whales were alive.
Brownlow stated that pilot whales are species with strong social bonds, saying, "Regardless of the reason, if a whale strands itself, the entire pod follows it. We believe it is the same case here."
