Whale mother and calf die after stranding off Essex despite 12-hour rescue attempt

Two pilot whales have died after getting stranded off the coast despite desperate attempts to save them.

The female pilot whale and her calf were seen in shallow water off Canvey Island in Essex on Friday.

A team from South Essex Wildlife Hospital were called out and a huge rescue effort was launched.

Vets, marine biologists and divers went to the scene to try to assess any injuries to the whales and get them back to deeper water.

The wildlife hospital said the whales are thought to have been part of a pod of nine, seven of which had died after a previous stranding in the area two days ago.

A mud rescue team was also called in, along with emergency services in the area, and the rescuers worked into the early hours to try to save the whales.

A spokesperson for the wildlife hospital said: "Heartbreakingly, the adult whale was just not strong enough to survive and the youngster was both injured and deteriorating rapidly.

"After working for more than 12 hours, the devastating decision had to be made to end the youngsters suffering, with trained marksmen ensuring this was done instantly."

Essex Police said they were called at 8.45pm on Friday and officers had to shoot the whale.

Det Chief Supt Morgan Cronin said: “This is something no police officer wants to carry out.

“Our emergency service partners had been working tirelessly to save the whale and I want to thank them for their efforts.

“Sadly, when it became clear to a specialist vet that this wasn’t going to be possible, they determined the most humane thing to do was prevent it from suffering any further and it should be euthanised."

“They also determined the chemicals that would usually be used could pose a risk to other wildlife should they get into the water, so another approach was needed.

“It is a hugely regretable thing to have to do but was in the best interests of the whale and I want to thank the public for their understanding.”

The South Essex Wildlife Hospital team said they were hugely distressed that they had been unable to rescue the whales, and upset by suggestions on social media they could have done more to save the animals.

They added: "Outcomes like this are crushing for all involved. It has been a somber morning for many of us, especially with comments about what could or should have been done circulating on social media.

"Please bear in mind that those involved tried EVERY possible option and we would have done anything possible to change the outcome if we could."

Wildlife photographer Rosie Barrett, who works for whale charity ORCA, said on Facebook she was devastated by the incident, which was an unusual one, as large whales were rarely seen along the Essex coast.

Ms Barrett, who was called to the scene, said: "I knew it was unlikely to be a good result as pilot whales are notoriously difficult because they tend to strand in numbers and all animals have to go out together otherwise they will continue to re-strand due to their tight family bonds.

"The teams involved worked really, really hard but sadly it wasn't the result we had all hoped for with both individuals dying.

It's really frustrating to see comments on public posts about how the situation should have been dealt with and how we could have done better.

"Believe me, no-one wants this outcome! But rescuing and refloating a large cetacean isn't easy like some seem to think...

"Where they were was a very, very difficult location for them to be rescued from so please, stop with the speculations. I am heartbroken and don't need to read it.

"I just really wish it could have been a better outcome. Devastated."

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