Rescuers filled the pods of three northern bottleneck whales from a Scottish lach on Thursday before a major international military exercise.
The first group of boats began “gently moving” deep-diving mammals from Loch Long toward the mouth of the River Clyde, the British divers Marine Life Rescue Group said.
Loch Long, north of the western city of Glasgow, is close to the Faslane ferry, which has a fleet of Britain’s nuclear-powered submarines.
Thousands of armed forces from the UK, NATO and other international units are set to take part in a joint Warrior military exercise in the region from next week.
The BDMLRA said it was working with the local and UK Ministry of Defense to keep an eye on the whales, and rescuers had formed a barrier with the boats to prevent them from turning in the wrong direction.
“We recently reported that a significant military exercise is set to begin next week, and since whales are particularly sensitive to underwater noise, there has been concern about the impact this could have on animals.”
“So in consultation with Whale and Dolphin Conservation and colleagues from the Hebrew Whale and Dolphin Trust, it has been decided to try to get the animals out of the herd using a number of boats to bring them back to the open sea.”
Northern bottleneck whales are commonly found on the continental shelf in the west of the UK and Ireland.
According to the rescue team, it is unusual to see them in the water.
About six boats were involved in the rescue on Thursday.
At Greenlock, the Coastguard, on the south coast of Lachina, and at the mouth of the Clyde from Glasgow to the sea, passing ships have been told to proceed with “slow motion” and “special caution” so as not to disrupt the operation. .
