Tragedy as fin whale dies after turning into stranded on Cornish coast regardless of huge rescue operation
- WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
A whale calf has been put down after becoming stranded from its mother in Cornwall.
The female fin, which was 6.2m (20ft) in length, was reported stranded yesterday morning at 7am in the shallows at Pentewan Sands near Mevagissey.
Around 15 trained marine mammal medics from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue rushed to the scene.
A British Divers Marine Life Rescue spokesperson said the calf was in poor condition and wasn’t expected to survive.
‘A calf of this age is completely dependent on the mother for frequent feeding and cannot survive independently at sea.’
The spokesperson added: ‘Leaving the whale on the beach is not compatible with survival, and without veterinary intervention the calf would face a prolonged and inevitable death from starvation and physiological collapse.’
BDMLR director of welfare and conservation, Dan Jarvis, said their team responded quickly yesterday and did all they could to manage the calf’s welfare.
He said the decision to euthanise the whale was extremely difficult, and they tried to come up with the most humane outcome.
The female fin, which was 6.2m (20ft) in length, was reported stranded yesterday morning at 7am in the shallows at Pentewan Sands near Mevagissey
Around 15 trained marine mammal medics from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue rushed to the scene
A British Divers Marine Life Rescue spokesperson said the calf was in poor condition and wasn’t expected to survive
The whale will now be examined by experts who will undertake a full necropsy to help understand the animal’s life history
Dan Jarvis said the decision to euthanise the whale was extremely difficult, and they tried to come up with the most humane outcome
The whale will now be examined by experts who will undertake a full necropsy to help understand the animal’s life history.
The research will also help to understand the animal’s life history, cause of stranding, and contribute to ongoing research into mammal.
The fin whale is the second largest species after the blue whale, with adults growing up to 88ft and weighting up to 120,000 kg.
Fin whales are seen as generally solitary animals with calves sticking to their mothers for the first year of their lives.
The mammal tends to stay in deep ocean waters and prefers cooler conditions, but has been sighted around the UK.
They are considered vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation Red List.
