Tragic end for a king of the seas

FRANTIC efforts to save a stranded 18-metre long fin whale failed yesterday.

It died on the West Cork coast despite a huge operation by the RNLI, local fishermen and Irish Whale & Dolphin Society to try to get it refloated and back to open water. The fin whale is second only to the blue whale as the largest mammal on the planet. It is also an endangered species. Also known as the rorqual or razorback whale, the fin whale can grow to 27 metres (88 feet) in length.

The stricken whale died yesterday, around six hours after it became stranded on a sand bar after swimming in from the open sea on an unusually high tide. It was spotted shortly before 7am on the sand bar, just north of Courtmacsherry RNLI station. It had apparently come into Courtmacsherry on a spring tide - and, after becoming disorientated, was left stranded when the tide rapidly ebbed.

Shocked locals became aware of its presence when it started thrashing frantically in a bid to get off the sand bar and reach the rapidly receding harbour channel. The alarm was raised by Brian O'Donovan. "You'd know he was in distress," he said. "There wasn't a whole lot of water around him and he was in trouble. Once the tide went away from him he stopped raising his tail," he said. Courtmacsherry RNLI official Michael Hurley said everything possible was done to help the animal.

"We had appealed to (RNLI) members to make their way to Courtmacsherry so they could offer some help. "We had hoped that when the tide came back in, we would be able to do something and get the whale refloated," Mr Hurley added. Volunteers even went out to the whale and splashed water on the animal in a bid to keep it alive until the tide turned.

However, by the time the whale's plight was detected, the water had receded so far as to make a rescue effort at low tide impossible. Because of the location, it was not possible to get either crane-equipped trawlers or even a wheeled crane to a site alongside the whale.

Sadly, time and the animal's huge weight scuppered the rescue effort and, when the tide finally turned, the whale had already succumbed to exhaustion and apparent respiratory problems. It is understood the 18-metre (55 foot) whale was a mature adult close to its maximum length and weight