Beached Fin Whales, Raghly, Streedagh, Co. Sligo, Ireland

Late November and early December 2011, Co. Sligo, Ireland, the bodies of two Fin Whales were found within days of each other. In both cases cause of death is unknown (at time of filming). Also unknown was whether or not they had died at sea before grounding onshore.*

The first to be spotted was at Raghly believed to be a young male (perhaps a teenager). Coming ashore in the relative shelter of Raghly harbour his body was remarkably well preserved despite the strong winter storms and large waves bashing our shores that week. So intact that some locals oragnised a group to preserve the skeleton (Magherow Whale Group).

The second, larger, adult male was reported a few days later near Streedagh. Locals reported that his body had been shore a day or two then was washed back out, then in again. When one looked at the rocks his body travelled over, and the strength of the seas that ime (a record 20.4m wave was recorded soon after in Co Donegal), it is no wonder that his head was so badly damaged and there were some deep scratches and gouges in his flesh.

I guess when something this big dies, it brings home the fragility of our own lives and we tend to seek big explanations to help us cope.

So I heard some around me theorising about nets, submarine or shipping sonar, chasing whaling ships, pollution and other human acts that might have been responsible.

But I heard no one discussing what seems to be the simpler explanation for this rare double-beaching:

... whales die naturally* all the time in the ocean where scavengers quickly get to work on their sinking carcasses. So perhaps 10, 15 or more die off Irish shores every year and we never find out about them because their bodies never make it ashore (making these two appear all the more dramatic). Until some happen to die at a time when strong storms can push them onshore - without there being time for them to sink and/or scavengers to get to work.

Whatever the cause of their arrival and deaths, the sad end of these magnificent creatures will no doubt go down in local lore for some time to come.

* Disease, stress, heart attack, stroke, drowning (miscalculated inhalation during a storm; staying down too long to avoid the noise above and then blacking out?), dolphin or orca hunting them, hunger / nutritional deficiency due to problems in the food chain, social ostracisation leading to depression and suicide... there could be any number of non-human causes for these fins to have ended up on Irish shores.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Fin Whales
• Whales
• Beached Whales
• Raghly
• Streedagh
• Sligo
• Ireland
• Animals
• Wildlife
• Magherow Whale Group