The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Efforts to refloat minke whale stranded at Elie
Rescuers work to keep the whale alive before refloating it at high tide late last night.
Rescuers last night battled to save a whale beached in Fife.
The 21-feet long minke whale was stranded at Largo Bay on the Firth of Forth, between Elie and Lower Largo.
A first attempt failed when it was refloated only to beach again on a rocky reef. By the time it was refloated again at around 10pm it was too dark to see whether the juvenile whale had remained in the water.
Members of the rescue team, which included medics and officers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue, the SSPCA and St Andrews and Leven Coastguard teams, are to return this morning for a shore search.
The distressed but unhurt mammal was reported to police by a passer-by at 4pm and rescuers attached inflatable pontoons and gave first aid to keep it alive as they waited for the tide to return.
Paul Smith, BDMLR area co-ordinator, who was among those on the scene, said: “We got it refloated and it went into the bay but then stranded again on a rocky reef.
“We refloated it again but lost sight of it in the darkness.
“Whether it has gone ashore again or out to sea, we just don’t know,” added Mr Smith.
“When it stranded on the reef it did get a bit of a battering, but it was strong enough to swim off.”