Scotland : Killer Whale Dies After Becoming Entangled in Fishing Gear

There is only height resident orcas left off Scotland

The 20-foot killer whale was identified as Lulu, a member of the rare resident population of orcas that live off Scotland’s west coast. According to the Hebridean Dolphin and Whale Trust, there may be as few as eight individuals remaining in the West Coast Community, which has not produced calves since the conservation group began studying the pod in 1992.

Andy Foote, a cetacean specialist with the trust, said the distinct shape of Lulu’s eye and saddle patches were used to ID the orca and matched photos taken of the animal off Scotland’s Isle of Skye in 2014.

This sad report confirms that we have probably crossed, in July 2012, the orca accompanied by 5 other members of this small resident pod of the Hebrides. We had the chance to watch for more than an hour a fabulous hunt sequence of these impressive creatures in the Straits of Minch, between Gairloc’h and south of the Isle of Skye. Lulu’s death saddens us more specially when we remember the unforgettable encounter we made with him and his familly… Unfortunately, we doubt that the futures generations will be as lucky as we were to make this exceptional encounter, if we don’t react in time.

The animal eventually succumbed to the entanglement after several days and drowned

“We found convincing evidence that she had become chronically entangled and this was the most likely cause of her death.” said Andrew Brownlow, the strandings team’s director and a veterinary pathologist.

There were no ropes or fishing gear present when Bowler discovered the animal, so no determination of whether the wounds were caused by active fishing gear or abandoned equipment, often called “ghost” gear, could be made.

If the ropes wrapped around her tail were attached to larger gear, it would have made normal swimming and foraging activities difficult. Lulu and her pod are known for hunting large prey such as dolphins and seals, which requires powerful swimming and agile manoeuvrability.

“We suspect the animal had been entangled for several days,” Brownlow wrote. “She hadn’t fed recently but had swallowed a large amount of seawater, most likely as she eventually succumbed to the entanglement and drowned.”

Lulu is the first killer whale the strandings team has encountered with entanglement scars, but the team reported an increase in entanglements in other whale species over the last year.

Check our report about amazing whale watching in Minch strait, Scotland.