A SCOTTISH council has told members of the public to “avoid the area” after a stranded whale washed up on a local beach.
Moray Council issued the warning after a seven-metre minke whale was found on a beach just west of Lossiemouth.
It is believed the whale died after becoming entangled in creel lines.
Officials monitoring the carcass said it is between the low and high water marks around half way along the beach between the West Beach café and Covesea lighthouse.
The council said that the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) has been notified but officers are not able to remove the whale for scientific research due to its decomposed state.
The responsibility of dealing with this carcass lies with Moray Council.
The local authority’s environmental health service said it has taken the decision to leave the whale in its current location and “let nature or the tide take its course”.
They said that limited access to the beach for the necessary vehicles, along with the soft sand, would make the removal of a decomposing whale carcass extremely difficult.
The carcass will continue to be monitored and members of the public are reminded to avoid getting too close to the whale carcass and keep children and dogs under control.
Moray Council's acting head of economic growth and development, Beverly Smith, said: “While it’s a distressing sight to see, we know that nature will take its course and the whale will eventually disappear.
“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.”
Moray Council said because the whale is under 25ft (7.62m), it is not classified as a “royal fish”, which would see the Scottish Government have first claim on those found dead or stranded on the shoreline in Scotland on behalf of the Crown.
