On Thursday, 77 pilot whales washed up on the island of Sanday, part of the Orkney archipelago. Scotland.
Of those, 65 have already died and the 12 survivors are in a state where they cannot be recovered, according to British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
“Sadly, the remaining 12 pilot whales had to be euthanized due to their deteriorating condition after being stranded on the beach for such a long period of time,” the BDMLR said in an update.
The report noted that lying on the beach for a long period of time “likely caused compression injuries from the victim’s own body weight and inhalation of water at high tide.”
The charity said the whales had been swept away by the tide and sunk deep into the sand, making them unable to surface on their own.
There’s no “obvious indication” why they were stranded
Orkney is an archipelago located just off the northeastern tip of mainland Scotland. Sanday lies to the northeast of the islands, close to the open sea.
“There is no clear evidence as to why they all became stranded,” the BDMLR said, adding that they would recover as many bodies as possible and carry out autopsies.
Every year, thousands of whales are found washed up on beaches around the world. But how do they get there? And what happens to them once they’re on shore?
Image: picture-alliance/Pacific Press/AH Firsawan
Earlier this month, locals in Indonesia’s Aceh province came together to rescue 10 sperm whales that had washed up in shallow waters. Volunteers managed to return six to the sea, but four died. There’s no clear consensus as to why the whales become stranded, but there are a number of theories…
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Yani
Some whale species live in social groups called “pods,” each with a leader who the other whales swim behind. If the leader whale gets close to shore and is in distress, he will send out a distress call. The trailing whales may try to help and end up stranded themselves. Whales can also be captured while chasing prey.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/R. Azhari
Another theory about why whales beach themselves is that overfishing forces the marine mammals to forage in unfamiliar shallow waters, where they become trapped, and there is also evidence that naval sonar can disrupt and confuse migrating animals.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/R. Azhari
When a whale dies in the ocean’s deep, murky depths, its carcass sinks to the ocean floor, where it can become a source of nutrition for many other animals and creatures for years, even decades, to come. But whales that are already near shore, like this one that was spotted in Rio de Janeiro, can wash up on the beach. If that happens, the animal can decompose on the sand, creating other problems.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/F. Teixeira
While sunbathers don’t seem to be put off, the stench of a rotting whale carcass would be enough to put many people off their vacation. And the stench isn’t the only problem: When these ocean giants die and begin to decay, gases build up in their stomachs and get trapped in their thick layers of blubber. If a human were to climb on or try to move a dead whale, it could explode.
Image: Getty Images/M. Tama
Disposing of beached whales can be a difficult task. Leaving them to rot on the beach is not an option as it could pose a risk to public health. Some environmentalists argue that the best way is to bury them on the beach itself, as was the case with the four dead whales in Aceh.
