07 April 2023 , 16:18
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A massive 10-metre whale washed up on a UK beach alive earlier today.
The huge sperm whale washed up onto a beach in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, shocking locals, with the authorities first alerted shortly after midday today.
The mammal is visible from the end of the pier, and experts and divers are now at the scene.
Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue attended the incident but and a team of divers from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue were already at the scene.
The whale is now submerged thanks to the incoming tide, and due to its sheer size it is often impossible to move it, but Emily Mayman, Assistant co-ordinator for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said that rescuers believed the whale had sadly died at some point this evening.
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Whilst at first it showed signs of life, splashing about in the water, as the water rose, its blow hole was quite low down, and it became submerged.
The massive ten metre sperm whale washed up alive on the beach (Duncan Young/MEN MEDIA)On top of that, due to its massive weight, when on land, the sperm whales exert massive pressure onto their own organs which, over time, can be contribute to their deaths.
Emily told the Mirror: "Because of their size, their internal organs would be compressed into positions that wouldn't help them survive.
"When they're on the beach, all the pressure is on their internal organs and moving them around can make things worse.
"Dragging them back out into the water can prolong the suffering."
Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue and a team of divers both attended the scene (Duncan Young/MEN MEDIA)Even if tomorrow the whale is gone, when the tide recedes, the water itself could have moved it, and if it is moved along the shore, members of the public are advised not to approach it and touch it as the animals can carry zoonotic diseases.
Videos from the scene showed rescue teams around the whale as the water seems to be coming in, around the massive animal.
But members of the Coast Guard remain at the scene in case their assistance is needed.
The news of the beaching was first reported to authorities around 12.30pm today (Duncan Young/MEN MEDIA)Grazing and bleeding seen on the whale in some photos is consistent with a live stranding, Emily told the Mirror, where their surprisingly fragile skin is pushed along the abrasive sand, causing the injuries.
This is far from the first whale to wash up in the area, with a massive fin whale also washing up nearby back in 2015.
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In a statement, Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue said: "Today we attended Cleethorpes Beach for multiple reports of a stranded sperm whale.
Rescuers have said there is little they can currently do due to its size and the incoming tide (Duncan Young/MEN MEDIA)"As we arrived British Divers Marine Life Rescue had just started to make way over to the whale and did not wish for assistance so our team stood down while they continued their work."
Lincolnshire British Divers Marine Life Rescue are fundraising to help them continue their work, to donate click here.