A dead Minke whale that washed up on an Easter Ross beach was probably killed when it struck a boat’s propeller out at sea.
The 12ft-long cetacean was spotted floating dead in high tide by Invergordon lifeboat volunteers as they came in from a training exercise on Monday night at about 8.30pm.
The crew notified the Cromarty Firth Port Authority, who then contacted the Highland Council’s environmental health team after the dead animal was washed ashore later that evening.
At this point it also transpired that the animal was missing its tail.
Yesterday an environmental health officer went out to assess the situation to make sure there was no public health risk, and today the whale will be recovered.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “A member of our environmental team was at the site to assess what needs to be done. There are no health hazards but the public are advised to avoid the area if possible until the carcass has been removed.”
An Invergordon lifeboat spokesman said: “The whale is about 12ft in length and it’s unfortunate it was dead and part of its tail was missing.
“It looks like it has been struck by some sort of boat, possibly in the Cromarty Firth or outwith. These type of whales are quite inquisitive and those on boats won’t know if they have hit one.
“Obviously Monday night’s weather conditions, with it being the tail end of the storm, have resulted in high tides and the force must have brought it ashore after we saw it.”
A Whale and Dolphin Conservation spokesman said: “It is always very sad to hear of a whale or dolphin washing ashore in difficulty or dead. These amazing creatures face many threats on a daily basis, including collisions with vessels, pollution, and entanglement in fishing gear, which is why we campaign to create protected areas at sea where they might be placed in less danger.”
The Cromarty Port Authority also informed Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) strandings department about the whale.
The SRUC were in Tiree following the discovery of a dead killer whale on the island on Sunday.
The whale, named Lulu by scientific researchers, was one of the few remaining west coast orcas.