A young whale which became stranded on Balmedie beach has died.
Checks carried out by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) early this morning confirmed that the juvenile minke whale died “due to exhaustion”.
The sad end came after an eight-hour attempt to rescue the mammal from the coast after officials were alerted on Sunday morning.
The BDMLR was assisted by Aberdeen Coastguard and staff from Trump International Golf Links.
The sad news was confirmed by BDMLR area co-coordinator Colin McFadyen.
Speaking yesterday, Colin said that it was “unlikely” that the animal was going to last overnight.
The remains of the whale remain on the beach.
Overnight survival of whale ‘unlikely’
He said: “We didn’t manage to successfully refloat the whale as the waves were too strong for her and she washed back ashore several times, so sadly we ended up having to leave her there.
“We’re still in a weather warning area and the sea was too powerful for her in the end.
“At least she is in a better place than she was when we found her – she’s now further into the sea.
“There’s now high tide so there’s a small chance – and I will emphasise the word small – that she will still be able to get herself back into the sea.
“Otherwise, it is probably unlikely she’d make it through the night.”
He added: “She’s what you call a juvenile whale – she’s large enough that we believe she’s not maternally dependent – but she’s not an adult, which may have something to do with it.
“I wanted to thank the Coastguard and the staff from the Trump International Golf Links as they were very supportive.”
Conversation