Terrible discovery on a Scottish island this Thursday, July 11 in the morning.
Seventy-seven pilot dolphins were found stranded this Thursday morning on the beach of Sanday Island, Scotland, reports the BBC. Twelve were still alive according to rescuers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), who remain pessimistic about the chances of survival of these pilot whales.
Of the 77 stranded cetaceans, there are several young ones but also adult females and males, some measuring almost seven meters in length.
But what could have caused this massive stranding? Difficult to say but according to experts, it could be that one of the animals had problems (health? Location?) and that the entire group followed it.
In any case, this is the first time that so many marine animals have washed up on a Scottish beach since 1995 (creation of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, SMASS). Last year, 55 pilot whales were stranded on the Isle of Lewis; only one whale was released alive.
Several experts must still go to the site to try to save the pilot dolphins still alive, the conditions (tide, soft sand) preventing any rescue at the time of writing these lines. According to a member of the BDMLR, “this is a major incident. There are dolphins everywhere, some still alive. I know from experience how difficult these incidents are. We must be realistic […], pragmatic.”
