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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/09/another-whale-in-trouble-off-norfolk-coast
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| Coastguard calls off search for 'stranded' whale | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Coastguard teams have stood down after no further sightings of a possible whale in trouble off the UK’s east coast. | Coastguard teams have stood down after no further sightings of a possible whale in trouble off the UK’s east coast. |
| A member of the Mundesley coastguard rescue team reported a potential sighting at 10.15am on Tuesday of a whale around 400 yards off the coast of the Norfolk village. | |
| But an ensuing search by the Mundesley and Happisburgh coastguard has found no further sign of the cetacean, and the tide is now heading back out. | But an ensuing search by the Mundesley and Happisburgh coastguard has found no further sign of the cetacean, and the tide is now heading back out. |
| Six sperm whales have washed up and died on UK beaches recently, with the most recent stranded at Hunstanton around 50 miles up the coast from Mundesley. Experts believe the animals entered the North Sea by mistake, in search of food. | Six sperm whales have washed up and died on UK beaches recently, with the most recent stranded at Hunstanton around 50 miles up the coast from Mundesley. Experts believe the animals entered the North Sea by mistake, in search of food. |
| In total, 30 sperm whales have beached and died across the sea, which at 20-3om deep is so shallow it can disorientate the deep-diving species. | In total, 30 sperm whales have beached and died across the sea, which at 20-3om deep is so shallow it can disorientate the deep-diving species. |
| “We’ve stood down two teams. There’s no sighting of the whale any more, we’ve lost sight of it completely. The tide is heading out,” said a spokeswoman for the UK coastguard. | “We’ve stood down two teams. There’s no sighting of the whale any more, we’ve lost sight of it completely. The tide is heading out,” said a spokeswoman for the UK coastguard. |
| The coastguard had earlier reported the possible whale as “alive and thrashing” in the water, but was now awaiting any further reports by its staff or members of the public. | The coastguard had earlier reported the possible whale as “alive and thrashing” in the water, but was now awaiting any further reports by its staff or members of the public. |
| Gavin Marsh, of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said it was hard to accurately identify whales at sea: “We don’t know if it was a sperm whale or not. To be honest, we don’t know if it was [not a whale but] a dolphin or even a sandbank.” | Gavin Marsh, of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said it was hard to accurately identify whales at sea: “We don’t know if it was a sperm whale or not. To be honest, we don’t know if it was [not a whale but] a dolphin or even a sandbank.” |
| On average there are around seven sperm whale strandings on the UK coast each year. | On average there are around seven sperm whale strandings on the UK coast each year. |