LAST UPDATE | 4 Jul 2020

A RARE BEAKED whale has been spotted in distress in Wicklow harbour today. 

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) said the Sowerby’s beaked whale is unable to leave the harbour. 

The group said it believes the whale is “not looking in great condition” and appears thin based on footage from the scene. Beaked whales are a deep-diving species and not usually seen so close to shore. 

Such whales are particularly sensitive to acoustic trauma, and it is not expected the whale will survive.

It said: “IWDG are aware of the beaked whale in Wicklow harbour and have volunteers on scene to monitor the animal. We would ask people people to keep their distance to avoid causing any more stress to the animal, and to remember governmental social distance guidelines.”

The IWDG added it would like to see resources made available to recover the whale if it does not survive and a post-mortem be conducted. 

“We recommend recovery to a regional vet lab could be carried out at limited expenses,” it said. “We might learn about the life as well as death of this rare whale.”