Seven Whales Have Died After Becoming Stranded On Irish Beach

Warning: This article contains images and footage which some readers may find distressing

Seven whales have died after becoming stranded on a beach in Ireland.

The seven northern bottlenose whales were found stranded at Rosnowlagh beach in Donegal yesterday - with conservationists rushing to the scene in an attempt to help.

However, they were unable to save the animals and six died. Another managed to refloat and was seen swimming away, but a spokesperson from Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) told LADbible it has now tragically died, too.

Sibeal Regan, from IWDG, told Sky News: "It's very sad, but it is some consolation to know that they are no longer suffering."

She went on to say that the incident, which is Ireland's largest ever live animal stranding, was currently being investigated, but said the cause of most whale stranding was 'acoustic trauma', which she said is the result of human activity.

She explained that naval exercises of seismic tests were the most likely cause.

IWDG CEO Simon Berrow explained the difficulties the group faced in a video shared online. He said: "These are a very, very big offshore species.

"They belong to the family Ziphiidae. They're beaked whales. We know very little about them.

"They are prone to mass strandings. This is the largest mass stranding of this species ever in Ireland.

"To be honest, there's very little you can do about it. They probably weigh three or four tonnes the adult males, so they're not really good candidates for refloating.

"And even if we could, is it the right thing to do? These are deep diving species that live in 2,000 metres of water."

He added: "You just have to let nature take its course, provide first aid on the beach, make sure they're not stressed by people who are too close or yapping dogs."

Police and the local council set up a barrier to keep people away from the stranded animals.

The IWDG warned that there had been a spike in animal strandings over the last year, with 245 reports involving 263 animals.

They say many of the animals had injuries that appeared to be the result of becoming entangled in fishing nets.

Featured Image Credit: IWDG/Thomas Coleman/Louise Coleman

Topics: Ireland, Animals

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19