Killer whale washes ashore on island beach 30/7/14
A killer whale believed to be from the UK’s only resident group of orca has been
found dead on a North Uist beach.
Experts have been examining the body of the six metre long cetacean today after it
washed ashore at Balshare.
The Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme carried out a post mortem of the speciem
on Wednesday.
The dead whale is believed to be a young male, possibly from the pod resident in
the Minch - five males and four females known as the ‘West Coast Community’ - whose
conservation status is said to be critical.
Jac Volbeda who runs the Bagh Alluin B&B confirmed the death to the Scottish Marine
Animal Strandings Scheme and they travelled to the island to conduct tests.
The whale was half buried in the sand, on the south end of the long beach, just over
a mile from his Balshare guesthouse.
Mr Voleda said the experts had to abandon starting their investigation last night
when the tide came in.
Today, they took samples and the whale was later buried nearby.
Jac Volbeda of the Bagh Alluin B&B photographed the killer whale
