Dog walker discovers 'massive' dead whale washed up on Irvine beach

A dog walker said she has “never seen anything like it” after coming across a Minke whale washed up on a beach in North Ayrshire.

Coastguard teams were called to Irvine beach around 10am on Monday after the mammal was discovered.

The local authority said it is “evaluating” the best way to remove the carcass.

Sacha Raeside said she had “never seen anything like it” after coming across the whale on her morning walk.

Mr Raeside said: “I’m always down the beach with my three dogs. Today, I was down from the dragon (an Irvine Beach Park landmark) and went up and over the sand dunes when I saw the whale.

“I appeared to be the only one on the beach in close proximity, so I went to check it out. My dogs are not reactive to these types of things, so I knew it would be safe to do so.

“The whale itself was massive – I’ve never seen anything like it in such close proximity before; although it was sad to see, it was also really beautiful.

“It appeared injured in a few places and was already starting to swell up and was rather smelly.

“I called the Coastwatch for Irvine and reported the whale, and they got onto the right team to start the process of getting the whale off the shore.”

North Ayrshire Council confirmed that an operation to remove the body of the animal is currently underway.

A spokesperson said: “We are aware of a Minke whale at Irvine Beach and have been in contact with Coastwatch and the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme regarding the remains.

“We are evaluating the best options for removal from the beach. We will continue to monitor the situation to see if we can access the carcass when the tide allows.”

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team has been sent to a report made at about 10am on December 16 of a whale washed up at Irvine beach.”