{"id":38650,"date":"2024-07-12T13:56:28","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T11:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/e28f4680-b860-40ea-990a-a4cd64b40bb2"},"modified":"2024-07-12T15:27:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T13:27:49","slug":"tragic-mass-stranding-leaves-77-pilot-whales-dead-in-orkney","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/tragic-mass-stranding-leaves-77-pilot-whales-dead-in-orkney\/","title":{"rendered":"Tragic mass stranding leaves 77 pilot whales dead in Orkney"},"content":{"rendered":"

The reason for\u00a0one of the biggest mass strandings in Scottish history\u00a0is currently a mystery, says Mel Hobson <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 12 July 2024 at 11:56 AM<\/p>

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Despite the best efforts of Marine medics, who raced to the scene, 77 pilot whales<\/a> have sadly died on an Orkney <\/a>beach, after stranding there in the early hours of 11 July.<\/strong><\/p>

On\u00a0the morning of 11 July 2024,\u00a0the\u00a0British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR)<\/a>received reports of a pod of\u00a0long-finned\u00a0pilot whales stranded\u00a0on the isle of Sanday in Orkney.<\/p>

When volunteer medics from the BDMLR arrived at the scene,\u00a0they found\u00a077\u00a0stranded\u00a0animals, which\u00a0had likely been there for several hours. Only 12 were still alive.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cWith the very limited resources and people immediately available, health assessments and first aid were provided to the surviving animals as the incoming tide\u00a0[approached]\u00a0them,\u201d says the BDMLR on its website.<\/p>

The trained volunteers did everything they could to save the whales but they\u00a0had been out of the\u00a0ocean\u00a0for too long. Without the\u00a0support of the\u00a0water, their internal organs\u00a0were\u00a0crushed by the weight of their huge bodies.\u00a0The BDMLR believes there was a \u201chigh likelihood that they have inhaled water with the incoming tide.\u201d<\/p>