Over 50 Whales Die on Beach as Rescuers Fear Pod Followed Mother in Trouble

Over 50 whales have died on a beach as rescuers fear the whole pod followed a mother who was in trouble after giving birth.

Around 55 pilot whales washed up on the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland, on July 16, with only 15 still alive.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) was alerted to the incident at 7 a.m. local time and managed to save one, refloating it back to sea, it said in a statement. However, none of the others survived.

The BDMLR told Newsweek that all pilot whales are now deceased and the incident has been passed to the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme. There were both adults and calves among the animals.

Marine mammal strandings are not uncommon and happen worldwide. An individual may wash up due to illness or injury, although the phenomenon remains largely a mystery to scientists.

Mass strandings like this are more of a head-scratcher. It is particularly common among pilot whales and sperm whales. Scientists believe this may be down to the fact these species are incredibly social and travel closely in pods, but it is not certain.

Rescuers found that one of the pilot whales had a vaginal prolapse, suggesting that it had recently given birth.

This could have been the catalyst for all whales washing up at once. When the female gave birth and was stranded while experiencing difficulties, the rest of the pod could have followed and stranded alongside her.

Rescuers attempted to save as many of the pilot whales as they could. However, this is a challenge in all stranding scenarios.

Two of the whales that were still alive were still in the shallows. Rescuers tried to redirect these whales into deeper waters, but one of them re-stranded quickly, and the other died.

The sea conditions were also particularly rough, meaning it was unsafe to relocate the remaining animals that were alive.

It was decided that the animals should be euthanized considering the rough conditions, and how long they had been out of the water. If pilot whales are out of the water for too long, their health can rapidly deteriorate.

The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme will now assess the dead whales in order to determine the cause of death. Members of the public are being advised to avoid the area so the necropsies can be carried out without distractions.

Scientists have previously looked into the causes of mass strandings such as these. While one theory is that entire pods wash up when an individual runs into difficulty, some scientists believe this isn't always the case.

In September last year, researchers from Aberystwyth University found evidence that stranded pilot whales in the northeast Atlantic and the Falkland Islands were from different family groups.

This suggested that disruption to social circles may also be a cause of these mysterious strandings.

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