Pilot whales have always been joined at the hip. In fact, the tendency for a group of pilot whales to follow the direction of a group leader is exactly what earned them their name. Now, these nomadic oceanic dolphins are finding themselves navigating into shallow waters, leaving them stranded on various beaches in masses.
A Sudden Increase in Pilot Whale Stranding
Although stranding of pilot whales has been occurring for millions of years, there has been an alarming increase of global mass strandings since 2023.
In July 2023, nearly 97 pilot whales were found beached on Cheynes Beach in Albany, Australia. Given Australia’s history of pilot whale strandings, this was not uncommon. Regardless, the mass stranding repeated itself shortly after on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland in the same month, killing yet another 55 pilot whales. The incident once again repeated itself in November with nearly 34 pilot whales washing up on Byrans Beach near the east coast of Tasmania.
