Race against time to conduct whale pod post mortems on Lewis

Experts are facing a "race against time" to transportation retired station mortems connected a pod of 55 whales aft a wide stranding connected a Western Isles beach.

Only 15 were live aft they washed onto Traigh Mhor formation astatine North Tolsta connected the Isle of Lewis connected Sunday morning.

The remainder were euthanised aft an unsuccessful effort to refloat 1 of the much progressive whales.

Leading pathologist Dr Andrew Brownlow said the probe into the stranding would beryllium a "monumental task".

He is manager of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) whose squad volition transportation retired the station mortem examinations.

They volition stitchery information from lone a prime fig of the whales arsenic they would beryllium incapable to analyse each 55.

Weather could besides impede the process though Dr Brownlow said conditions had improved since Sunday.

He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "It's going to beryllium a monumental task.

"There are much animals sadly which are awaiting necropsy present than each of the wide strandings enactment unneurotic for the past decade.

"What we volition effort and bash is triage these animals - we volition prime those animals that we deliberation champion correspond the remainder of the pod and marque definite that we instrumentality samples and arsenic overmuch information that we can.

"Then it's simply a contention against time, vigor and weather. We volition bash the astir that we perchance tin to find retired what's been going connected here."

Pilot whales are known for their beardown societal bonds, truthful often erstwhile 1 whale gets into trouble and strands, the remainder follow.

Experts person said the pod could person followed a pistillate onto the formation erstwhile she became unwell portion giving commencement - as happened connected the Isle of Staffin connected Skye successful 2015.

However Dr Brownlow said determination are a fig of reasons down strandings and his squad volition beryllium looking to regularisation retired quality impact.

He said: "Pilot whale strandings person happened for centuries - it's not needfully the lawsuit that it's due to the fact that of quality impact.

"But that's 1 of the things we privation to effort and analyse and regularisation retired - to spot whether oregon not immoderate of the things that tin impact these animals specified arsenic underwater noise, enactment with sportfishing gear, accumulation of toxins oregon illness whitethorn person played a part."

On Sunday attempts were made to springiness the surviving whales archetypal aid.

Marine foundation British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) attempted to refloat 1 of the much progressive whales but it was aboriginal recovered further down the beach.

The whales are present being moved to a landfill successful Stornoway wherever they volition beryllium buried aft investigations instrumentality place.

Western Isles Council - Comhairle nan Eilean Siar - has asked radical to debar the formation arsenic the cognition to region the whales takes place.

Dr Brownlow said though 55 whales was a ample stranding for Scotland, it was "not unprecedented" - but had nevertheless attracted involvement from scientists astir the world.

"Although this is beauteous grim and a comparatively challenging happening to do, you tin really larn a batch from these animals," helium said.

"There is involvement from each implicit the satellite - we've been contacted from the guys successful Tasmania who person offered america enactment and champion wishes but are besides precise funny to cognize what we find out.

"From the process of examining these animals we tin larn a batch astir the threats and pressures that impact not conscionable the animals successful our waters but globally. So I deliberation determination is immoderate worth successful doing this."