RNLI - Rescuing Whales of Fife Coast

[SPR]

Rescue of stranded pilot whales at Anstruther - YouTube

[chewy]

Sad to see.

[SPR]

yes - it is, they saved 10 although one died later.

[Ribstore]

Big pat on the back to all involved in trying to save them.

Seems to be happening more frequently? Correlation with weather/jet stream?

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Ribstore

Big pat on the back to all involved in trying to save them.

Seems to be happening more frequently? Correlation with weather/jet stream?

Or just 24/7 news reporting and the interweb meaning a "local interest" story in the East of Scotland gets around the whole of the UK?

[Ribstore]

Originally Posted by Poly

Or just 24/7 news reporting and the interweb meaning a "local interest" story in the East of Scotland gets around the whole of the UK?

Possibly, but we have had national news broadcasting for some time now and any beaching has always been of more than local interest. Perhaps reporting and recording of beachings have also improved - Irish coast .

Other explanation for increased beachings could just be that the whale population is expanding and hence the trend is proportional - much like the increasing number of dead badgers now seen on the roadside

Chris

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Ribstore

Possibly, but we have had national news broadcasting for some time now and any beaching has always been of more than local interest.

You may be right that technology now makes it easier to report (or find the right person to report to. But it also makes it easier to get the info to the news agencies. Its easier to get pictures from a beach and get them back to the paper / studio in time for the deadline. Without pictures, whale stranded on beach is unlikely to be much more than a footnote. It also becomes easier for a lazy editor to find a story to plug a gap in his schedule/page. Whilst people on here might have an extra affinity to the animals and so be more interested, I doubt the public at large really care that much, especially if its on a beach somewhere they've never even heard of. I'd guess unless its a very large group, or there is an ongoing rescue attempt it doesn't make it to national news.

[Razorbill RIBs]

Originally Posted by Ribstore

Possibly, but we have had national news broadcasting for some time now and any beaching has always been of more than local interest. Perhaps reporting and recording of beachings have also improved - Irish coast .

Other explanation for increased beachings could just be that the whale population is expanding and hence the trend is proportional - much like the increasing number of dead badgers now seen on the roadside

Chris

Regardless of your stance on the whole badger /TB thing, the increased number of dead badgers at the roadside has far more to do with 'hiding' illegal kills rather than an increase in numbers......sad.

[Bern Hanreck]

Originally Posted by Razorbill RIBs

Regardless of your stance on the whole badger /TB thing, the increased number of dead badgers at the roadside has far more to do with 'hiding' illegal kills rather than an increase in numbers......sad.

+1.....I've heard the same explanation from friends in Ceredigion .

[Ribstore]

Originally Posted by Razorbill RIBs

Regardless of your stance on the whole badger /TB thing, the increased number of dead badgers at the roadside has far more to do with 'hiding' illegal kills rather than an increase in numbers......sad.

I wish I hadn't have mentioned the badgers However way they end up on the roadside [or whales on the beach], I am saying that perhaps it is linked to the increased level of population(s)?

Re: the black n white rabbits....the saddest part is that we have gutless politicians who would rather duck the issue than lose voters form the opposing camps; guess there is nothing new there then

[Ribstore]

Originally Posted by Poly

You may be right that technology now makes it easier to report (or find the right person to report to. But it also makes it easier to get the info to the news agencies. Its easier to get pictures from a beach and get them back to the paper / studio in time for the deadline...

Spot-on! I'm old enough to have lived in an era when the latest and fastest form of news comms was Ceefax but now we all have the ability to broadcast an item of news (factually correct or otherwise) within seconds - I heard someone once say that the definition of old age is when new technology really does surprise you...i'm old then

Chris