Dozens of whales have been returned to the open seas after being stranded near the shores of Orkney.
Around 45 long-finned pilot whales began circling close to the shores of the Isles of Sanday and Stronsay at the weekend, sparking concerns the two pods were in danger of becoming breached.
One pod of up to 15 whales was discovered circling inshore in St Catherine’s Bay on Stronsay, whilst a larger group of 30 creatures was monitored at Sanday.
Following careful consideration, members of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) made attempts to herd the larger group of marine mammals at Stronsay on Sunday evening in an effort to return them to deeper water.
Using a small flotilla of boats, the crews edged the pod closer to the open sea, successfully returning them to their natural habitat some time later.
In a post published yesterday, the charity confirmed the positive news.
A spokeswoman from BDMLR stated: “We are pleased to say that the herding attempt using a small flotilla of boats with the larger pod at Sanday last night appears to have been successful, and they were last seen heading offshore with no further sightings so far today.
“A huge thank you to all medics, key local contacts and boat operators who were involved with this fantastic effort.”
She added: “The pod at Stronsay will be trickier to move as they have been in a shallower, more restricted channel since yesterday afternoon and remain there this morning under close watch. Careful plans are currently being made to attempt to herd this pod using a similar technique.”
Several volunteer medics and conservation experts remained at the scene yesterday, carefully monitoring the whale’s condition.
Leader of Orkney Islands Council, James Stockan, praised the ongoing efforts by teams to help ensure “these species can thrive” once again in their natural habitat.
He said: “Over the years, whales have always breached and it’s an unnatural phenomenon.
“We are trying to make sure these species can thrive and can get back to their levels that they used to be at in the seas around us. We really appreciate these efforts which are being made by people.
“The last thing we want is for these whales to come ashore and for us not to be able to do something for them.”