|
Dead whale washed up
Alastair Dalton
Science Correspondent
The Scotsman
18th March 2003
A 45ft Sperm whale has been washed up on a beach in East Lothian.
Experts believe the whale, weighing 45 tonnes, could have died before it became beached at Canty Bay, east of North Berwick in East Lothian.
The incident is the first involving a sperm whale in the Forth since a similar-sized one, nicknamed Moby, died after becoming stranded on mudflats near the Kincardine Bridge six years ago.
The latest whale, which has started to decompose, was spotted by canoeists on Saturday.
East Lothian Council, which is responsible for disposing of the carcase, said it would have to be towed by sea to another beach because of the bay’s inaccessibility. Officials are faced with having to dismember the whale in Milsey Bay, a public beach in North Berwick, before it can be taken away for disposal.
The Coastguard has informed the National Museums of Scotland (NMS) about the find. The NMS has stored Moby’s bones at its Granton Centre in Edinburgh since they caused a stink at the Royal Museum in the city during a week-long display.
Experts said decomposition might be too far advanced to establish how the whale died.
Top
|
