THREE pilot whales were left stranded on a Brandon Bay beach this morning.
Thankfully though, due to the rescue work carried out by a group of locals and tourists, the whales were returned to the sea safely.
There is concern however that the whales are beginning to come ashore once more and the larger of the three may die.
Wildlife experts are appealing for people living or holidaying in the area to keep a look out for whales who may be in distress.
A local farmer had spotted the whales on Goulane Beach this morning and speedily alerted Dingle Oceanworld, to come the assistance of the large mammals.
Story continued below…
Wildlife personnel, are due to make a decision on whether the larger whale should be allowed to beach in order to get veterinary help, but there are fears it may not live.
“Prospects for the two strong ones are good after second floating,” said local Irish Whale and Dolphin Group member, Paddy O’Dwyer, in a statement on the group’s Facebook page this afternoon.
“However, the third is very unlikely to survive, and had appeared to give up and would probably have been left to die but for the area being so public and busy.”
Story continued below…
Photo by Aoife Dowd/Instagram
Researchers have several theories to explain why some whales strand themselves on beaches. They range from diseases, attacks from other animals and issues with sonar from fishing vessels.
The video below shows the whale rescue in operation by Brandon Harbour earlier today.
Efforts are being made to help a whale stuck in the harbour in Brandon, Co Kerry. https://t.co/OgJ7TbNS7Q — RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 6, 2015