Beached 44ft whale dies on NE UK beach

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Probable Cause of Death: Malnourishment from Beaching
Probable Cause of Beaching: Ocean Pollution

A 44ft (13.4m) long whale died shortly after becoming stranded on a beach on Teesside, NE England. Photo Credit: Dave Cocks, RNLI/ via BBC

A spokesman for International Fund for Animal Welfare said whales are stranded for a variety of reasons:

“While it is not possible to pinpoint the cause in every case, we do know that human activity in the seas is increasing the threats to these highly intelligent and complex marine mammals.

“Manmade ocean noise, from shipping, oil and gas excavation and naval sonar, makes it ever harder for whales to navigate, communicate, find food or mates and avoid prey.”