Beachgoers warned to stay away after another 30ft long dead whale washes up on Kent shore just days after 55 were caught in UK’s worst ever stranding
- The huge creature was discovered last night in St Mary’s Bay, Romney Marsh
Beachgoers have been warned to stay away from a popular seafront after a 30ft long dead whale washed up on the shore.
The huge creature, believed to be a common Minke Whale, which can weigh as much as 5,600kg, was discovered last night in St Mary’s Bay, Romney Marsh, Kent.
Witness Paul Crawford told KentOnline: I felt humbled to see it. But I also felt a bit of sadness. They’re such beautiful and amazing animals.’
A spokesman for HM Coastguard added: ‘The Romney Marsh Coastguard Rescue Team was tasked to an object floating on the water edge at St Mary’s Bay.
‘Once the object had been located it was confirmed to be a deceased whale.
Beachgoers have been warned to stay away from a popular seafront after a 30ft long dead whale washed up on the shore
The huge creature, believed to be a common Minke Whale, which can weigh as much as 5,600kg, was discovered last night in St Mary’s Bay, Romney Marsh, Kent
Witness Paul Crawford told KentOnline : I felt humbled to see it. But I also felt a bit of sadness. They’re such beautiful and amazing animals’
‘Further investigations were carried out to record statistics of the animal for future analysis. The whale was also determined to be a Minke Whale.
READ MORE: Pod of 55 beached pilot whales caught in UK’s worst ever mass stranding
‘Possible further investigations will take place to determine how best to remove the animal from the beach.
‘In the meantime, it is strongly advised NOT to venture out to the animal due to the deep mud (otherwise known as quicksand) between the animal and the shoreline.’
It comes just days after a pod of 55 pilot whales became stranded on a Scottish beach.
Only 15 of the creatures were alive after they were found at North Tolsta on the Isle of Lewis on Sunday.
One was refloated and was able to swim away on the outgoing tide. The rest were euthanised on welfare grounds. It was the highest number of stranding deaths in the UK for at least 70 years.
Experts have been carrying out investigations on the dead animals since Monday.
No definitive reason for the stranding has yet been given, but the scientists have discovered a high number of females in the pod were pregnant, with several in the process of giving birth.
The whales that became stranded at North Tolsta have now been moved to the landfill site near Stornoway.
Onlookers watch on after the mammal beached on the shore on Thursday evening
Dozens of the mammals were discovered at Traigh Mhor in North Tolsta, on the Isle of Lewis, at around 7am on Sunday, however it soon emerged that only 15 were still alive
Diggers get to work on removing a pod of pilot whales from a beach in Scotland on Monday
The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) is investigating the incident.
Leading veterinary pathologist Dr Andrew Brownlow said the investigation into the pilot whales stranding would be a ‘monumental task’.
The director of SMASS said: ‘Pilot whale strandings have happened for centuries – it’s not necessarily the case that it’s because of human impact.
‘But that’s one of the things we want to try and investigate and rule out – to see whether or not some of the things that can affect these animals such as underwater noise, interaction with fishing gear, accumulation of toxins or disease may have played a part.’
Meanwhile, it emerged today that another minke whale has died on the same beach.
Rescue teams were sent to Traigh Mhor at North Tolsta on Lewis for a second time this week after a 10ft juvenile whale was discovered washed up.
Medics from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were called to the scene yesterday. However, their efforts were short-lived as the mammal was already dead.
A coastguard spokesman confirmed the alarm was raised at around 2pm by one of their own team members, who lives in the local area, after being told about it by a friendly neighbour.
BDMLR were notified alongside environmental services and members of the local council.
Upon arrival, medics from the conservation charity examined the animal before confirming it had died.
Members of the Western Isles Council stepped in to take charge and dispose of the animal.
A mass stranding of whales on Traigh Mhor in North Tolsta, on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland
Pilot whales have strong social bonds which experts believe can lead to mass strandings as they may follow a pod member which ends up beached because it is weak, injured or pregnant.
Generally, 400-600 strandings are reported in the UK every year. That may seem like a lot but sometimes mass strandings occur where more than one animal strands at once, often alive.
A total of 16 whales died after being stranded on the east coast of Scotland in September 2012.
Ten others were refloated after being kept alive by vets from British Divers and Marine Life Rescue.
The incident between Anstruther and Pittenweem in Fife involved pilot whales, each of them approximately 20ft (6m) long.
In June 2015, 21 live pilot whales became stranded on the Isle of Skye. Although 18 survived and returned to sea, three died, including a female who’d recently given birth. The post-mortem results showed the animals were in a good nutritional state.
In September 2022, nearly 200 pilot whales died after becoming stranded on Ocean Beach, part of Tasmania’s west coast. Authorities said only about 35 survived of the 230 that were stranded.
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