Mass stranding of 350 short-limbed pilot whales on Yemen’s Socotra Island

In June 2025, a group of about 350 short-limbed pilot whales stranded on Nit Beach, Socotra Island, Yemen, in one of the largest cetacean die-offs in the region in recent years. Although local fishermen and residents mounted a rapid rescue effort and managed to push back 10 whales, the whales soon returned to the shallows and re-stranded. By early evening, two kilometers of coastline were covered with whale carcasses in a shocking and saddening scene. Initial reports suggest that the incident may have been triggered by mass panic or “collective disorientation,” and that geomagnetic anomalies, underwater noise disturbances, the spread of disease, or climatic factors may also have contributed to the disaster. Samples of the whale carcasses are currently being sampled and analyzed by the relevant agencies to investigate the presence of pathological factors such as disease, parasites or contaminants.