The dead minke whale which was washed up on the beach at North Berwick on Wednesday, April 19, has now been taken away.
The huge 31ft mammal was spotted by a boat taking tourists from North Berwick for a trip around the Isle of May. It was identified and tracked by Scottish Seabird Centre staff and a volunteer from Whale and Dolphin Conservation as it drifted east down the Firth of Forth until it washed up on the town’s West Bay beach.
On Friday morning, the area around the whale was cordoned off by police as workers used lifting equipment to put the carcass in the back of a lorry before it was driven away. A spokesman for East Lothian Council said: "The surface sand has been raked over but the advice to visitors is to avoid this area, including keeping dogs away, until after this afternoon's high tide which will wash away any remaining debris."
1. Washed up
The common minke whale was first spotted by a boat taking tourists from North Berwick for a trip around the Isle of May. Photo: Jane Barlow
2. View from above
The area around the whale was cordoned off by police as the carcass was removed. Workers used lifting equipment to get it into the back of a lorry. Photo: Jane Barlow
3. Mink whale
A dead minke whale which washed up on the West Bay beach in North Berwick, East Lothian, on Wednesday. Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Wire
4. STENnews-21-04-23-whale n berwick-SCOTupload
Workers spent about three hours on Friday morning, starting at sunrise, retrieving the carcass. Photo: Jane Barlow