Huge 25ft whale stranded on UK beach dies despite major rescue mission

22 October 2023 , 10:25

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The whale stuck on a beach near Edinburgh (Image: No credit)

A massive 25ft whale sadly died after getting stranded on a beach near Edinburgh, despite a rescue mission to try and save it.

The animal was spotted by worried locals who quickly called the British Diving Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR). Loads of Marine Mammal Medics in bright jackets rushed to the scene at Whitehouse Bay, along with a vet who tried to comfort the distressed whale and help it back into the sea.

Sadly, despite their best efforts, the whale was reported dead around two hours later. David, who first saw the whale, told the Daily Record: "There are vets on the scene now, They were putting water and wet blankets on it. It looks like it's trying to edge its way back to the water and there are various vets observing."

The whale got stranded yesterday morning (David M)

He added: "I spotted the whale at around 11am, it was 20-25 feet long and possibly a minke. Sadly it died a couple hours into the rescue mission. The tide was going out. It looked like they gave it as much of a chance as possible to dislodge itself but had to put it down as the water was getting further back."

A spokesperson for The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme said: "This is a sei whale that got stranded earlier today. BDMLR medics went out to attend but unfortunately, the animal died. SMASS will be carrying out a necropsy to investigate why it may have been stranded."

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A BDMLR spokesperson said: "We were alerted to the whale at around 10.30am, we mobilized teams from both sides of the Forth, including two sets of rescue equipment in the hope that the whale would be able to be returned to the water. Unfortunately at 12.50pm just after the vet had assessed the animal, it passed away. The whale has been identified as a sei whale, a species which prefers deep offshore waters but is occasionally seen feeding closer to shore in Scottish waters."

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Iona Young