More Than 50 Whales Die After Getting Beached in Scotland

Marine rescuers had their hands full Sunday morning when a pod of 55 pilot whales washed ashore a Scottish beach. When responders arrived at the surreal scene in North Tolsta on the Isle of Lewis, they discovered that only 15 of the whales were still alive. British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) reportedly saved one of the whales by refloating it, but at around 3:30 p.m., vets on scene decided that the rest of the living whales be put down. “Considering how long the pilot whales had been out of the water in addition to the poor conditions, it was decided that they should be euthanized on welfare grounds,” the BDLMR said in its statement, adding that the conditions at that time were too unsafe to attempt refloating the rest of the living mammals. “A sad outcome for this pod and obviously not the outcome we were all hoping for.”