Unhappy Ending After Minke Whale Washed Up On Beach

By Joe Daunt Location: Druridge Bay
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VIDEO: The whale, which had to be put down by vets

A huge eight metre minke whale has been put to sleep after it was found on a Northumberland beach. 

Rescuers tried to help the animal, which washed up at Druridge Bay.

It was spotted by a passer-by early on Wednesday morning. She told the North East Coastguard who sent out a team of divers and alerted the fire service.

A vet examined the whale, which was said to be 'very thin', undernourished and dehydrated.

The whale was too thin to be refloated and has had to be put to sleep.

Minke whales are solitary creatures who rarely stray further than 70km from the shoreline. 

The Minke whale beached on Druridge Bay may have been swept there by the raging storms that hit the region last night.

Steven Marsh, operations manager at British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: "Any animal that is out there and is in a bad way will struggle.

"If there is a storm they are less able to fight and are more likely to be swept onto beaches.

"They're attempting to euthanise it now, they're using a drug that will put it to sleep.

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

"The storm hasn't killed this whale, but it may have caused it to wash up on the beach."

Northumberland County Council said the 10-tonne whale was "humanely destroyed" after it was found to be in great distress.

Crews from Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service kept it as comfortable as possible by spraying it with water and covering it in wet blankets.

Beached whales are the property of the Queen, and the Receiver of the Wrecks has been informed.

Its carcass will be removed overnight and locals have been asked to stay away while this is carried out.

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