Rescuers were last night battling to save three pilot whales that had become stranded on a beach in Fife. Picture: Mike Day.

MISSION: Prognosis is dire, admits marine expert, after stranded mammals wash up on beach

Rescuers were last night battling to save three pilot whales that had stranded on their sides on a beach in Fife.

The mammals washed up on the shore at Torry Bay near Dunfermline, after getting into difficulty in the Firth of Forth. They include two males of around seven and six metres long and a fivemetre long female thought to be a subadult.

The stranded animals are believed to be from the same pod spotted struggling in shallow waters a few miles away near Culross on Tuesday.

A team of experts from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDLMR) was last night joined by police, firefighters and members of the Coastguard in a rescue attempt to save the stricken whales.

As light disappeared, rescuers used torches while keeping the animals as comfortable as possible ahead of an attempt to try to refloat them when the tide came in during the early hours.

James McKenzie, the BDMLR’s deputy area coordinator for Fife and Stirling, said: “These whales, which have fully stranded, could well be the same animals we saw on Tuesday, according to the way the creatures were acting.

“They are on their sides but once we get them upright we can make a better assessment of their body condition and whether it will be viable to refloat them.”

Veterinary pathologist Dr Andrew Brownlow, of the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (SMASS) – who was providing advice to the rescue team – said: “We are still trying to collect information to ascertain whether these are the same animals that have stranded again. If that is the case, then from the point of view of an animal that has stranded twice within a 48-hour period, the prognosis is pretty dire.

“The process of stranding, even if these animals are really healthy, brings about a cascade of pathology that will unfortunately kill them.

“It’s heart-rending to be that close to an animal in distress, on the beach.”

“It’s heartrending to be that close to an animal in distress, on the beach

Picture: Mike Day. Police, firefighters and the Coastguard were all involved in the bid to refloat the whales.