By James Gamble via SWNS
Sad pictures show a huge whale washed up on a Scottish beach.
The remains of the 7-meter-long minke on the shore of Lossiemouth’s West Beach will be left alone for ‘nature to take its course’ due to difficulties in removing it.
Moray Council explained that as the huge mammal is under 25 feet it is not classified as a ‘Royal Fish’ and therefore falls under its responsibility.
It’s believed the whale likely died after becoming entangled in creel lines.
The local authority’s Environmental Health service is currently monitoring the whale, which lies between the low and high water marks around halfway along the picturesque beach in the Scottish seaside town of Lossiemouth.
The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) has been notified about the carcass, but are unable to remove the whale for scientific research due to its decomposed state.
If it were 25ft from its snout to the middle of its tail the whale would qualify as a Royal Fish, which would see the Scottish Government have first claim to the animal on behalf of the Crown.
Moray Council says it has decided to leave the whale ‘for a number of reasons’ and let either nature or the tide decide its fate.
It added that limited access to the beach for the necessary vehicles – along with the soft sand – would make the decomposing whale’s removal extremely difficult.
Beverly Smith, Moray Council’s Acting Head of Economic Growth and Development, urged members of the public to avoid getting too close to the carcass and to keep children and dogs under control on the beach.
“While it’s a distressing sight to see we know that nature will take its course and the whale will eventually disappear,” she said.
“The difficulties in removing the carcass are numerous and it would be unsafe and impractical to do so.
“I echo the reminder from our Environmental Health team to avoid the area for the time being and to keep dogs and children away from the whale.”
