Report a stranded whale or dolphin
Find out how to report a stranding in Scotland on the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Service website.
Where you report a stranded whale or dolphin depends on whether the animal is alive or dead.
It will help if you can report the:
- animal’s location – you can use a local landmark, the what3words website or a National Grid Reference from an Ordnance Survey map or Ordnance Survey website
- date you found it
- species, if you know
You might need to send a photo of the animal to identify it.
To avoid injury or disease, you should not try to do any of the following:
- approach or touch the animal
- return a live animal to the sea
You can find out more about strandings on the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) website.
If the animal is alive
If the whale or dolphin is alive or you’re not sure, you should report it immediately.
Be especially careful to avoid the tail, as it’s powerful and can cause injury.
You can report the animal to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue hotline. You can find more on their website about what to do with a stranded marine mammal.
You can also report a stranded animal to the RSPCA in England and Wales. You can find out more on their website about reporting a concern.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue hotline
01825 765546
RSPCA
0300 1234 999
If the animal is dead
If the animal is in England or Wales
Call the CSIP hotline.
CSIP stranded whale or dolphin hotline
0800 652 0333
If the animal is in Northern Ireland
Find out how to report a dead whale or dolphin in Northern Ireland on the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs website.