An entire herd of 55 whales died after a mass stranding on a beach on one of the Western Isles in Scotland, reported the BBC quoted by BGNES.
Only 15 of them were alive after being washed up on Traigh Mhor beach in North Tolsta on the Isle of Lewis at around 07:00 on Sunday morning.
The marine charity British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) tried to bring two of the more active whales back into the water, but one of them has since become stranded again.
A decision was made to euthanize the remaining whales on humane grounds.
The Western Isles Council – Comhairle nan Eilean Siar – asked people to avoid the area as a clean-up operation began.
On Sunday night, the BDMLR released an update saying one of the dead whales appeared to have had a vaginal prolapse.
This leads them to suspect that the entire herd is stranded on the shore due to the birth of one female.
Whales are known for their strong social bonds, so often when one whale gets into trouble and heads for shore, the others follow.
Attempts to provide first aid to the surviving whales continued throughout the day.
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2023-07-16 20:00:00
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