The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Massive whale washes up on scenic Angus beach.
RECOVERY: Whale brought in by tide as agencies work to remove mammal’s carcase from beach
“It looks like it had been dead for a while and washed up in the morning. LEE MITCHELL
A dead whale has been washed up on a scenic Angus beach.
The massive mammal was discovered at Lunan Bay by Arbroath joiner Lee Mitchell yesterday morning.
Lee, 26, was working on a beach hut with his dad, Brian, when the body of the whale emerged from the receding tide.
He said: “We had been working down here all day but at about 8am when the tide went out, the first thing we saw was what I thought was a massive pink fishing net. It turned out to be a big whale, about 12ft long.
“It looks like it has been dead for a while and had been washed up in the morning. It has been stormy and it has been battered by the tide.”
A spokesman for Angus Council said it had been made aware of the find.
He added: “We will make further inquiries alongside our partner agencies.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency said: “We are aware of reports of a dead whale discovered at Lunan Bay.
“We will assist the local authority in their consideration of suitable disposal options for the whale’s remains.”
The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, which is dedicated to reporting and researching dead mammals found along the country’s shores, has also been made aware of the discovery of the whale.
A spokeswoman for the organisation said locals should keep their distance from the carcase for health reasons.
She said: “There are a number of known pathogens carried by marine mammals, and although the risk of pathogen transfer from a marine mammal carcass to humans is small, we do recommend to keep your distance and do not touch any dead animals on the beach.
“We would rather have the same animal reported many times than not at all, so if you come across any on your beach walk please do always report them into us.”
It is the second whale to be washed up on Angus shores this year.
In March a rescue mission to save a sperm whale on a beach near Monifieth turned into a recovery operation after the animal was found dead.
The British Divers Marine Life Rescue team was called to a stretch of shoreline between Monifieth and Barry Buddon.
The Coastguard and RNLI were also called in to assist, but volunteers discovered the 12-metre (40ft) sperm whale had died.