A pod of 77 pilot whales that became beached in Orkney were healthy before they became stranded, according to findings. The giant mammals were found at Tresness Beach on the Isle of Sanday at 11am on Thursday.
The discovery is believed to be the biggest mass stranding for around 100 years. Tragically, all of the animals either died or were put to sleep.
The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) confirmed that they had all been euthanised due to the length of time they had spent on the beach.Cetacean specialists - whose expertise is in aquatic mammals - have since been examining tissue samples to establish the cause of the stranding.
Mariel ten Doeschate, from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, said that thorough post-mortems had so far been carried out on ariound 30 whales.Findings so far have determined that the giant mammals were healthy.
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