The body of a whale has washed ashore on an East Lothian beach. Council officials issued a warning to those visiting the beach in North Berwick after discovering the grizzly sight on the morning of Sunday, May 7.
A cordon was placed around the sea beast's body and dog walkers were warned to "maintain an appropriate distance". Although in the later stages of decomposition, the whale is believed to be a minke.
East Lothian Council have since arranged for the carcass to be removed from the beach. It was hauled off the sand by a forklift truck and deposited in a tractor trailer and driven off the site.
According to Edinburgh Live, the council said in a statement: "Unfortunately, a badly decomposed minke whale has been washed up on North Berwick beach this morning. A cordon will be put in place while arrangements are made to remove it and people are advised to maintain an appropriate distance and to keep dogs away."
They later added: "The minke whale washed up on North Berwick beach earlier today has now been removed."
The incident has been reported to the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) which will decide if further investigation is needed. SMASS is a dedicated research and reporting project for stranded cetaceans, pinnipeds, marine turtles and large sharks in Scotland.
The news follows a spate of whales found dead on Scottish shores in recent weeks. On Thursday May 4, a juvenile female humpback was found dead on a sandbank at Loch Fleet nature reserve. Initial tests by SMASS determined that the creature had drowned after becoming tangled in creel lines.
On April 20, another minke washed ashore on a North Berwick beach. Staff at the Scottish Seabird Centre raised the alarm after they spotted the mammal floating in the water at high tide on Wednesday before it came ashore near the harbour.
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