25/02/2021
We were happy to be able to assist Roseanne Shelly, and Padraig Whooley IWDG gather information at this rare and tragic event yesterday.
This is the 2nd only recorded stranding of a humpback Whale in County Cork the last recorded one being in 1992. This Whale was first observed in Long Island Bay around lunchtime and later that evening it landed on the shore. Nationally in Ireland there have only been 8 others recorded since 1893. We believe this is a juvenile female, 10 meters in length and Padraig Whooley IWDG have confirmed there are no previous sighting of this particular Humpback in Irish Waters. The IWDG will carry out a full investigation and hopefully determine the cause of the death of this young mammal.
We strongly advise people not to attempt to locate the Whale on the shoreline. It has stranded on a cove which cannot be accessed safely. We will post updates as we get them, and full details can be accessed on IWDG website.
A dead juvenile humpback whale has come ashore in Roaringwater Bay, Co. Cork (Wed. 24th February). IWDG will be visiting the stranded whale tomorrow to record vital data and try and establish a possible cause. For more details on this unusual stranding event, see full article on https://iwdg.ie/humpback-whale-washes-up-in-roaringwater-bay-co-cork/