Highland Council begins task of disposing of whale carcasses
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5 / 5Highland Council workers have begun the task of disposing of the carcasses of 16 pilot whales which died after becoming stranded in the Kyle of Durness over the weekend.
Experts who examined the carcasses say they were apparently healthy animals before becoming stranded on the north Sutherland beach.
They were part of a large pod of around 60 whales which got into difficulty at low tide in Balnakiel Bay and the Kyle of Durness.The pod was first spotted swimming into the Kyle by John Morrison, skipper of the Cape Wrath ferry, at around 10am on Friday.Highland Council countryside ranger for north west Sutherland, Donald Mitchell, was one of those on hand to help out and monitor the progress of the whales.
He said: "The boat man quickly realised by noon when the tide started to turn that they would be in trouble. The Kyle is very shallow at low tide with many sand bars."
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency were called and divers from a Ministry of Defence bomb disposal team were also on hand.Mr Mitchell said: "Huge efforts were made to shepherd the pilot whales back through the narrows and out to sea.
Commenting on the efforts of volunteers to rescue the stranded pilot whales, Scottish Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said:"This has been a distressing incident involving a large number of whales, and it is tragic so many have died."However, if it were not for the valiant efforts of volunteers and marine experts, many more could have lost their lives and I would like to pay tribute to their fantastic effort.“This is a team of highly committed individuals who have worked tirelessly around the clock to rescue these stranded whales and lead them to safety and their efforts are to be commended. Everyone who cares for our marine wildlife owes them a huge debt."Rescuers are still monitoring the area to ensure that no more whales become stranded, but the Scottish Government stands ready to provide whatever assistance we can - both in the these current difficult circumstances, and to further our future understanding of why these distressing events take place."
"However, it was to be a desperate race against time as the tide began to drop very quickly. A large number of locals and visitors came to watch and urge the animals onwards. But very soon the whales started to flounder on the sand. Volunteers stayed with them to keep them wet and cool."
