A minke whale which washed up on a Scottish beach has been removed after initial attempts to lift the mammal’s carcass failed.  

People have been told to avoid the area where the 31-foot cetacean made landfall until after high tide has cleared any remaining debris.  

The minke’s remains were taken from the beach by a private waste disposal company at the second attempt after an operation to lift the multi-ton animal on Thursday failed.  

The area it was discovered has been raked over but beach goers and dog walkers are being advised to stay clear for a day or so.  

The marine animal was first spotted by a skipper from a Scottish Seabird Centre wildlife tour by Craigleith Island on Wednesday.  


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Later in the day, it floated towards North Berwick Harbour before being washed onto a beach in the coastal town.  

The Herald:

East Lothian Council was first alerted to the sighting of the whale on Wednesday and contacted an external contractor to help with the removal.  

Minke whales are among the smallest of the baleen whales and usually measure an average of 27 ft - however, the council has said that the adult female on West Beach measures 9.5m (31 ft) in length.  

The incident was reported to the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) which collates and analyses all reports of stranded whales and dolphins.  


READ MORE: Minke whale washes up on North Berwick beach


Samples were taken from the carcass for future study, but there is no information on how it came to die.  

There were no signs of entanglement or collision on the whale, and it is assumed it died from natural causes.

The Herald:

East Lothian sees around three to four whales wash up every year.  

A council spokesperson said: "The minke whale carcass was removed from West Beach, North Berwick this morning.  

“The surface sand has been raked over but the advice to visitors is to avoid this area, including keeping dogs away, until after this afternoon's high tide which will wash away any remaining debris.  

“The carcass has been taken by an external waste removal company.”