30ft long whale dies after becoming stranded for the second time in Welsh estuary
- A fin whale which became stranded on a beach two times this week has died
- The animal, nicknamed Henry, found stranded on a sand bank in North Wales
- Coastguard and drone pilot monitored the inaccessible whale’s health overnight
A 30ft whale that became stranded on a British estuary overnight for the second time in 24 hours has died.
The fin whale, named Henry by rescue crew from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), was found restranded on a sand bank near the Dee estuary mouth, in North Wales, last night.
The rescue group said it was ‘too dangerous’ to send people out to the animal to see if it was still alive.
A 30ft fin whale that became restranded on a sand bank near the Dee estuary mouth, in North Wales, has died
The whale first washed up on the bank on Friday and was released back into the sea on the same afternoon
The coastguard and a licensed drone pilot with permission to fly in the area were observing the 14 tonne whale from a distance.
On Facebook, BDMLR said: ‘Sadly, though expected, there appear to be no signs of life left.’
This was the second time that Henry had become stranded after a rescue team released him back to the sea at 1.30pm on Friday.
When it was released into the sea BDMLR said they were ‘cautiously optimistic’ about whether the whale would survive.
On Friday it reoriented itself in the estuary, circled the rescue boat a few times and gained strength in its breathing and swimming but was found restranded again yesterday morning a long way from the shore.
Medics provided first aid throughout the day, pouring buckets of water over the whale to keep its skin wet so it didn’t dry out and sheets were put over its back to make it comfortable.
Despite the whale appearing to reorient itself in the water and build up its strength it reappeared the next morning
It had been hoped the fin whale, the second largest animal after the blue whale, would have been strong enough to survive on its own
In a bid to save the animal medics provided first aid throughout the day, pouring buckets of water over it so it didn’t dry out and sheets were put over its back to make it comfortable
In a post on their website they said: ‘Due to the size and weight of the animal and the geography of the area, it is not possible to get the animal closer to the water to help relieve the pressure on its body.
‘Dragging the animal by its tail will cause significant injuries and is not an option. As we mentioned yesterday, putting the animal to sleep is also incredibly difficult for a variety of reasons related to its size too.
‘We are saddened to say that the outlook today is looking less positive than yesterday.’
In the sad update today, the group said: ‘The area is extremely dangerous due to tides and quicksand and we would strongly urge that people must not enter the estuary in any kind of attempt to get near it and put themselves in unnecessary danger.
‘Nobody has any need or reason to go near it now except for the authorities who are now involved with retrieving the body.’
It was confirmed that a post mortem examination may take place to find out what happened to the whale.