Experts tackle isle whale carcass

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7163243.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A decision on how to dispose of a hard-to-reach whale carcass in the Western Isles is expected soon.

The 40ft sperm whale is thought to have been washed ashore on Lewis on Wednesday.

However, the carcass is on an inaccessible part of the shoreline, at South Dell in the Ness area on the north of the island.

Environmental health officials have visited the site and are taking advice from a local vet.

Dead whales are usually lifted whole from the shore, placed on a lorry and taken to a land-fill site - but the South Dell one may require to be cut into sections.

The village lies close to the Butt of Lewis, the northerly-most point on the island and a popular place for whale-spotting as the mammals pass to and from the Atlantic and the Minch.