Fears grow for Henry the 40ft whale stranded in British estuary as it beaches for the second time in 24 hours
- Henry the fin whale was found beached on the Dee Estuary at 9am this morning
- He was only released by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue at 1.30pm yesterday
- The BDMLR said that the situation looks ‘less positive’ for beached Henry today
- Holyhead Coastguard, Flint RNLI and police are all helping the rescue team
Fears are growing for the health of a 40ft whale that has become stranded on a British estuary for the second time in 24 hours.
The fin whale, named Henry by rescue crew from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), was found beached on the banks of the Dee Estuary in North Wales around 9am this morning.
This is the second time that Henry has been found stranded after a rescue team released him back to the sea at 1.30pm on Friday.
Fears are growing for the health of 40ft fin whale Henry who was found beached on the banks of the Dee Estuary in North Wales at 9am this morning after only being rescued by diver crews yesterday at 1.30pm
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
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.
However, after getting stranded again in North Wales, the BDLMR said that things looked ‘less positive’ for Henry today.
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.
In a post on their website, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: We are saddened to say that the outlook today is looking less positive than yesterday’
‘We are saddened to say that the outlook today is looking less positive than yesterday.’
Dan Jarvis of the BDLMR said that, given its size and weight and the fact the mammal cannot support its own body weight, there are concerns its internal organs could have become damaged while beached.
Holyhead Coastguard and Flint RNLI are also dealing with the stranded whale.
A spokesperson for the Holyhead Coastguard said their crews are keeping watch as people are trying to take pictures while the tide rises.
They also said that the police are also assisting.