The Best Guide for the Neston Area

Wirral Whale Could Not Be Saved

Despite the huge efforts of all involved, sadly word has reached us on Sunday morning that the whale stranded in the Dee Estuary is showing no signs of life.

Photo by Gem Simmons

The full update from British Divers Marine Life Rescue reads: "The fin whale restranded late last night on a sand bank near the Dee estuary mouth on the outgoing tide, but it was far too dangerous to send anyone out there to see if it was still alive.

"It has been found stranded once again this morning and a team from the Coastguard and a licensed drone pilot with permission to fly the area have been observing it from a distance.

"Sadly, though expected, there appear to be no signs of life left.

"Once again we would reiterate that members of the public must abide by Covid-19 guidelines against gathering in groups and in Wales there is a 5-mile travel limit still in force too. The area is extremely dangerous due to tides and quicksand and we would strongly urge that people must not enter the estuary in any kind of attempt to get near it and put themselves in unnecessary danger. Nobody has any need or reason to go near it now except for the authorities from Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales who are now involved with retrieving the body. We are in contact with our colleagues at the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme- UK strandings regarding the possibility of a post mortem examination that may be able to take place to help us all learn more about this animal.

"Once again we would like to extend our thanks to everyone who has been involved with this harrowing ordeal over the last couple of days, but also for the huge amounts of public support that the team have received from you all both in person and online."

Saturday's update follows:

Following what was thought to be a successful attempt to send a 13.5m long fin whale back out to sea after it became stranded off the coast of Thurstaston on Friday, the whale has now become re-stranded.

Read our article here for what happened yesterday.

Photo by Chris Cureton

In an update today, Saturday 13 June, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue champions leading the attempt to save it said:

"Sadly the fin whale was resighted swimming in the Dee Estuary last night just before it got dark and has been found restranded this morning in the same area. We have our volunteer Medic team on the way again to assess the situation and whale's current condition.

"Our key concern now is that not only has the animal returned to the estuary after leaving, but that by the time the tide comes back in at lunchtime today that it will have spent a considerable amount of time out of the water. Whales have never evolved to be able to support their own weight on land of course, so when stranded they gradually crush themselves, causing significant internal damage to themselves. While yesterday we were fortunate that the animal was only stranded for a relatively short amount of time where any damage would have been limited, being stranded again now for some more hours will add to any damage that it has already sustained and may make it unviable to survive.

"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.

"We are saddened to say that the outlook today is looking less positive than yesterday, and we will update later with more news as the incident unfolds."

For more updates, follow the BDMLR Facebook page here.

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