Whale stranded on Northumberland beach dies

PA

A minke whale that became stranded on a beach in Northumberland has had to be put down by vets.

The beautiful eight-metre long animal was found in Druridge Bay at 7.50am on Wednesday morning.

Experts from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDLMR) rushed to its aid after the Humber Coastguard were alerted to the beaching by a member of public.

But, after being assessed, the whale was deemed as being too thin to be returned to the sea.

PA

BDMLR operations director Stephen Marsh said that they would not attempt to refloat the whale as it would cause it more suffering later on.

According to ITV News, he said: "It is too thin, it hasn't got any muscle on it at all.

"It was in a very poor shape and we don't re-float animals that would die if they were released out to sea."

Responding to questions about whether the animal was affected by the storms hitting the North Sea, Mr Marsh told the Guardian: "The storm hasn't killed this whale, but it may have caused it to wash up on the beach. If there is a storm, sick whales are less able to fight it and are more likely to be swept on to beaches."

Minke whales off the UK tend to be solitary or limited to small groups of two or three, usually staying within 40 miles of the coast.

Beaching of these animals is unusual but can happen when the whale becomes sick or weak.

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