MARINE experts were waiting helplessly on the shores of a shallow Highland bay last night for a 45ft long sperm whale to die.
Would-be rescuers were forced to abandon all hope of mounting a mission to save the disorientated and apparently distressed mammal because of its sheer size and weight.
And one marine environmentalist admitted: "Letting nature take its course is
probably the only option, to be honest. It is obviously very sad, but it doesn't look like there's much anyone can do now."
Experts from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) raced to Channory Point at Munlochy Bay on the Black Isle yesterday morning after reports that two sperm whales were in danger of stranding. Shortly after they arrived one of the giant animals disappeared out to sea.
The other, a male sperm whale weighing an estimated 40 tonnes, was left swimming in circles in the shallow waters of the bay.
Mark Simmonds, the director of science for the WDCS, said the whale was swimming very awkwardly, which suggested that it was injured or ill.
He said that the society had called on boat users to stay away from the whale, which was likely to be highly distressed and could swim in the wrong direction and strand.
Mr Simmonds said: "Sperm whales are deep sea animals that usually live and feed in the deep waters beyond the continental shelf to the north and west of Scotland. They are occasionally seen in northern areas of the North Sea.
"The southern waters of the North Sea are widely regarded as a 'whale trap' because they are shallow and the soft sea-bed is likely to confuse the animals, which use echo-location to navigate.
"The Inner Moray Firth, which narrows sharply at Channory Point, where the whale was last seen, is likely to be very difficult for it to navigate."
He added: "In this part of the world most of the animals are male and a male sperm whale can weigh up to 50 tonnes and be 60ft long.
"Like the northern bottlenose whale that stranded last week in Hampshire, this is another deep sea animal outside its normal habitat."
Georgina Davies, a spokeswoman for the society, said: "The sperm whale is in very shallow water and doesn't look to be in very good condition at all.
"It is likely that it wouldn't survive even if we were able to get it back out to sea. It is a very large animal and it would be impossible to refloat it, should it become stranded.
"Letting nature take its course is probably the only option, to be honest."
Linda Nicholson, the Inverness area co-ordinator for the BDMLR, spent the day monitoring the whale.
She said: "It probably will strand at some point and there is unfortunately nothing much we can do for a huge sperm whale like that.
"I would like to be more positive, but this is a deep diving species and it's in an estuary as opposed to the ocean. It doesn't look good for the creature, unfortunately.
"It could still head out to sea but that looks unlikely. There is nothing we can do."
Sperm whales mainly feed on squid and live in groups of up to 50 individuals. They can dive to depths of 1000 metres.
They reach maturity at about ten and are thought to live for 75 years or more.
