Why a 'stinking' 25ft whale has been left to rot on a popular Scottish beach by a council

The carcass, which is believed to be that of a Minke whale, has been left on Lossiemouth's West Beach since mid-July. The responsibility of dealing with the whale sits with Moray Council, which said it is “leaving nature to take its course”.

The local authority’s environmental health department said this is because the difficulties in removing the carcass, which is just under 25ft (7.62m), “are numerous” and that “it would be unsafe and impractical to do so”.

Council officials have asked people to stay away from the whale and to keep dogs and children under control. The decision has been met with some pushback from local residents and visitors to the beach.

Some have claimed the carcass has started to smell and is distressing for those going to the beach. Other residents said the council has resources to lift heavy items and that it is “ridiculous” for not removing the dead mammal.

It is unclear as to how long the whale will take to fully decompose, but environmental health teams said they will continue to monitor the situation.

Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS), a research and reporting group for stranded cetaceans, has confirmed it will not remove the whale from the beauty spot for scientific research “due to its decomposed state”.

Scotland’s environment watchdog Sepa backed the decision to leave the animal on the beach despite the agency usually advocating for dead whales to be taken to landfill.

A spokesperson told The Northern Scot that due to the carcass’s location, the best solution was to allow it to “decompose naturally”. A lack of vehicle access to the beach and its soft sand were given as the key reasons for leaving the rotting animal in place.

Moray Council's acting head of economic growth and development, Beverly Smith, said: “While it’s a distressing sight to see, we know that nature will take its course and the whale will eventually disappear.

“The difficulties in removing the carcass are numerous and it would be unsafe and impractical to do so. I echo the reminder from our environmental health team to avoid the area for the time being and to keep dogs and children away from the whale.”