Pod of 23 whales found dead after mass stranding on Orkney beach

A pod of 23 pilot whales have been found dead on a beach in Orkney following a mass stranding.

The mammals were found on Roo Beach in Sanday on Sunday.

Volunteers at the Scottish Marine Animals Stranding Scheme believe the animals had lay undiscovered for up to three days due to the decomposition of their bodies.

“Due to the condition of whales, it meant there was a limited amount of investigation we were able to do,” Andrew Brownlow, director at SMASS, told STV News.

The mammals were found on Roo Beach in Sanday on Sunday. STV News

Dr Brownlow said that in addition to the 23 pilot whales on Roo Beach, two other whales were found on North Ronaldsay in a similar condition and stranded for the same amount of time.

He added that a calf was also seen swimming in the harbours in Westray, but has not been spotted in a few days.

“The calf was seen swimming for a couple of days without any other animals with it, it was a size which meant it would still be dependent on its mum and the rest of the pod to stay alive, however, it’s disappeared.

“The prognosis of that isn’t great,” Dr Brownlow said.

Orkney Council said the incident is being treated as a “priority” and urged visitors to avoid the locations where the whales have been discovered.

The incident comes as experts are seeing an increase in the frequency of mass strandings and the number of animals affected.

Just over a year ago, 77 pilot whales stranded at Tresness on the island, and in 2023, another mass stranding happened on the Isle of Lewis.

“To put this into context, we’ve been monitoring strandings and mass stranding events closely in Scotland for over 30 years, and we’ve found that the number of mass stranding events has increased both in the number of animals involved and the frequency,” Mr Brownlow said.

He added that teams are working to figure out why pilot whales are specifically being impacted in these incidents.

“Pilot whales are a deep ocean species; their habitat is a long way from the coast. Although their presence in coastal waters is not unheard of, that is not their normal habitat.

“Why have they moved from their normal habitat? It could be injuries, illness, disease, ecological drivers, or for feeding.

“If we can understand the factors at play, we have a better chance of working out how to prevent this from happening in the future.”

Speaking on Sunday’s stranding, Dr Brownlow said that the whales were in “reasonably good condition” and were a mix of ages and sexes.

“They were predominantly female, and there were some calves around two to three years old. It’s probably similar to what we’ve seen in recent years, where large groups come together, and that might be to breed or feed or because they’ve been displaced by something.”

He said that although it’s too early to say definitively what caused the stranding, they are following these threads to understand it.

A spokesperson for Orkney Council said: “Over the weekend, the news emerged that 23 pilot whales had grounded at Roo Beach in Sanday, just over a year since a similar incident involving 77 Pilot Whales at Tresness on the island. These incidents are, of course, upsetting and unsettling.

“Dealing with such an incident presents complex challenges and logistics – and whilst last year’s experience and learning will inform our response, we must take time to assess the differing circumstances of this situation – including the location of the whales and their current state.”

“We are working with our partners in the local community, agencies and statutory bodies to identify the necessary course of action.

“We appreciate there is an urgent need to progress this, and it is being treated as a priority incident. In the meantime, we would ask that local people and visitors avoid the area.”