New Fears as Whales Reported to have Returned to Loch

A pod of pilot whales are reported to have returned to a Hebridean sea loch where they risk becoming beached. Conservationists had thought the 60 whales had moved from the shallow waters of Loch Carnan, South Uist, and were swimming south.

But British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) later said the animals had headed back into the loch. Rescuers also said one of the whales may now have died after an apparent sighting of a body in the water. The animals were first spotted around Loch Carnan on Thursday, sparking fears that they would die in a mass stranding. Some of them have injuries to their heads, thought to have been sustained while they were stranded.

'Moving away'

BDMLR's Dave Jarvis described the latest development as disappointing. He said: "Unfortunately the pod of pilot whales that it was hoped were moving away from the sea loch earlier have now returned to their original location.

"Personnel were deployed earlier to search for the group that it was hoped were leaving the area, but they were located not far away, from a land vantage point, by BDMLR operations manager Stephen Marsh and SSPCA senior inspector Calum Watt.

"The animals were observed and disappointingly they retraced their route back into the loch. The whales do not currently appear to be agitated.

"Sadly, it is thought that one of the animals may now have died as a body has apparently been seen in the water."

Mr Jarvis has said the whales could only get stranded at one place - a sandy section of beach at the loch. However, other dangers are posed by the rocky coastline, with its many inlets and bays. Volunteers from the charity will continue to monitor the whales.

Feed on squid

The Scottish Government has also lent rescuers a fisheries protection boat to follow the animals' movements. At the end of October last year, some pilot whales almost got stranded in the same sea loch. Less than a week later, 33 whales, believed to be the same group, were found dead on a beach in Co Donegal in the Irish Republic.

Pilot whales prefer deep water but come inshore to feed on squid, their main food. Last week a pilot whale died on Sunday morning after getting stuck in the Sullom Voe inlet in Shetland. An autopsy was carried out on the animal to try to establish why it died but the results are not yet known.

BBC News