The orca that stranded earlier this week in Grafarvogur has been euthanised, reports RÚV. After swimming back out to sea on Wednesday, it stranded again today at Kjalarnes. According to MAST’s Chief Veterinary Officer, the decision was made with animal welfare as the guiding principle.
“He was very weakened,” said Þóra Jóhanna Jónasdóttir, Chief Veterinary Officer at MAST, confirming it was the same whale that had previously stranded in Grafarvogur. Þóra is part of Iceland’s emergency response team for whales in distress, which advises local authorities — who are legally responsible for such cases — on how to proceed.
The orca first stranded on Tuesday evening in Grafarvogur. It refloated early Wednesday but soon returned to shallow waters. By Wednesday afternoon, it had been successfully guided out to sea, and the operation was initially considered a success. However, the whale came ashore again the following day.
Once it was confirmed to be the same individual, authorities made the call to euthanise. “From an animal welfare perspective, we believe it was the right decision,” said Þóra.
“This is something we have to accept can happen. Even when we return an animal to the sea, there’s no guarantee it will survive. Stranding is extremely stressful, and the underlying cause is often illness,” she explained.
She stressed that animal welfare is always the priority. “We’re not going to stop trying to help whales we believe have a real chance of recovery.”
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