A SPERM whale which was entangled in ropes off Skye last week has reportedly become stranded on a shore off the nearby island of Raasay.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) confirmed they were able to free the whale on Saturday after they managed to cut five ropes which were wrapped around the animal.
The team said the 15-metre-long whale appeared weak and wasn’t swimming strongly when it was first spotted on February 27.
The charity's attempts to get close to the adult whale over the weekend were affected by high winds and rough sea conditions.
In a statement BDMLR said that sperm whales are known to be unpredictable, especially when entangled, so the team had to act with extreme caution when trying to help it.
The charity said the entanglement is the fourth incident of this type, BDMLR has responded to in three months.
They added that each call out was “very different and unconnected”.
It has been reported that BDMLR has sent a team to Raasay to help assist the stranded whale.
The charity said the sound of Raasay is not considered a sperm whale’s natural habitat and that the animal's presence in the area could indicate there are underlying health conditions.
In February, two fishermen rescued a humpback whale after it was spotted entangled in creel fishing gear off the coast of Skye.
A single rope had become anchored around the tail of the humpback.
In January, BDMLR freed a humpback whale entangled in ropes at a Skye salmon farm.
The animal was spotted in difficulty at Organic Sea Harvest's Invertote site near Staffin in the north of the island as rescuers said a rope was wrapped around the whale's head and its left fin.
