Trio of whales die after Findhorn Bay stranding
THREE whales have died after being stranded at Findhorn Bay.
On the morning of Thursday, July 15, a member of the public found the three sowerby's dead at the Culbin Forest side of the bay.
The animals – which were between three and four metres in size – were all juvenile.
The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) believes they were caught out by the tide and got trapped overnight.
Mariel ten Doeschate, a marine biologist with SMASS, said: "We think the animals were stranded on the high tide line.
"All three had come to the beach alive and got caught out by the tide.
"Whales like this are heavy so they quickly crush themselves and their organs fail.
"We work with the National Museum of Scotland and they have collected the skeleton to prepare it for research.
"The whales won't go to waste, they will provide researchers around the world with information on how they lived and died."
A dolphin also found itself stranded at Findhorn Bay on Friday, July 16.
SMASS record all strandings of marine life and should be contacted by anyone who stumbles across beached animals that have died.
If you find an animal alive, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue should be contacted.
