Whole pod of 77 whales die in 'biggest mass stranding in decades'

A pod of 77 pilot whales has died after washing ashore on a beach in Orkney in what could be the biggest mass stranding for decades.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) had established 12 of the animals at Tresness Beach on the island of Sanday were still alive when they came out of the water. 

However the decision was taken to euthanise them after refloating efforts failed, reports BBC. 

The pod included male whales up to seven metres (22ft) long as well as females, calves and juveniles.

Experts say it is too early to know what has caused the stranding, but it is likely one of the whales got into trouble and the rest of the pod tried to help.

Members of the public are being asked to stay away from the area while post mortem examinations are carried out.

It is thought to be the largest stranding event in Scotland since at least 1995, when the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) was founded - though strandings of a similar scale have been seen in recent years.

Last year an entire pod of 55 pilot whales died following a stranding on Lewis.

Only 15 of the whales were alive when they were washed ashore. One was successfully re-floated while the rest had to be euthanised.

Between 60-70 of the animals came into shallow waters in Sutherland in 2011.

According to the Natural History Museum, the largest UK stranding took place in 1927 when 126 out of more than 130 false killer whales died in the Dornoch Firth in the Highlands.

Experts from the BDMLR, the Scottish SPCA and marine vets from the Scottish mainland travelled to Sanday to assess whether any of the whales could be saved.

The area was cut off by the high tide and the sand on the beach where they were stranded proved too soft to allow the mammals to be righted.

The whales needed to be moved back into an upright position as quickly as possible if there is to be any chance of saving them.

But the soft sand meant the whales fell back over when the rescuers attempted to right them.

Emma Neave-Webb from the BDMLR said early on that while these experiences are difficult, the thinking had to be "realistic".