65 Dead Pilot Whales Stranded In Scotland

UNSPLASH/Bertrand Borie ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - A total of 65 long-fin pilot whales died after being stranded on the island off the north coast of Scotland, the rescue agency said.

The British BDMLR diver said it was warned of a pilot whale stranded the previous day. The team then sent medics to the beach in Sanday, the Orkney archipelago.

"On arrival, medics found about 77 animals on the beach, which appeared to have been stranded for several hours. Unfortunately, only 12 of them are currently alive," the charity said.

Whales can be stranded on the beach for various reasons, such as when they get lost or are trapped by the tide.

But scientists say there is no definite reason behind the phenomenon, which has been recorded throughout history.

Pilot whales, in particular, have close social ties and when one of their group members gets into trouble, other members often follow them, resulting in mass stranded.

Nearly a year ago a similar incident involving a pilot whale occurred on Lewis, another island in Scotland located west of the mainland, when at least 55 whales died or were injected dead. Mass animal stranded events also occurred in Western Australia earlier this year.