Ten sperm whales wash up on beach in East Yorkshire in mass stranding as rescue teams fear at least five may already be dead with the rest also expected to perish in shallow waters
- Humberside Police said the ten animals have been beached near Tunstall
- Coastguard and British Marine Life Rescue are helping with the situation
- It is feared that up to five of the animals may already have died
A pod of 10 sperm whales has washed up on a beach in East Yorkshire in a mass stranding and rescue teams fear at least five may already be dead.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue sent a team of medics with rescue equipment to the scene to identify and monitor the situation at 9am on shoreline between Tunstall and Withernsea.
The number of whales currently stranded is ten, they are in shallow water and up to five are feared to be dead. Rescuers expect the rest will also die in the shallow water.
The BDMLR believe it to be a pod of juvenile males, all in very poor nutritional condition.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue sent a team of medics with rescue equipment to the scene to identify and monitor the situation
Pictured: Two of the stranded whales are spotted in the shallow water
The number of whales currently stranded is ten, they are in shallow water and up to six are feared to be dead
A spokesman said: ‘Due to the current weather conditions and rough seas, our team will remain on land observing from a safe distance.
‘Due to the size of the sperm whale, males reaching around 20 meters long and weighing up to 80 tonnes, it’s not possible to move these animals once stranded, and due to their size they rarely survive long once on land.’
Emily Mayman, 30, an experienced medic with British Divers Marine Life Rescue, was called to the scene after passers-by spotted the gigantic sperm whales stranded on the coast.
Pictured: The marine mammal rescue ambulance which arrived at the scene this morning
A pod of at least 10 whales have washed up on a beach in Yorkshire (pictured) in a horror ‘mass stranding’ this morning with at least five thought to be already dead
A Marine Life rescue team, the coastguard and police have all been called to the shocking scene and are monitoring the situation.
Ms Mayman said: ‘We suspect it’s about 10 whales. But we’re waiting on more information at the moment.
‘We believe a couple of members of the public have spotted the stranded whales this morning.
Emily Mayman, 30, an experienced medic with British Divers Marine Life Rescue, was called to the scene after passers-by spotted the gigantic sperm whales (pictured) stranded on the coast
‘We’re not sure what caused this – but sometimes you get this happening to sperm whales dotted around the coastline.
‘It’s a massive shame.
‘There’s not much we can do with them. They are such big animals. Their skulls alone are so heavy so rescue operations are very difficult.
A Marine Life rescue team, the coastguard and police have all been called to the shocking scene and are monitoring the situation
The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator
‘They are a deep diving species, it’s not in their best interest to try and put them back out again.
‘It’s very sad to see because they may be sick.’
‘The tide is crazy strong today so hopefully some will re-float but normally when you see a group like this it’s not a great sign.
‘It’s more than you’d expect – it’s the most I’ve seen. It’s classed a mass stranding.’
The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator.