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| Pilot whale carcass removal begins on Fife coast | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Efforts to remove the carcasses of 17 pilot whales which stranded on the coast of Fife have got under way. | |
| The mammals are lying at the foot of cliffs between Anstruther and Pittenweem. A further 10 were saved by rescuers by being refloated on Sunday. | |
| An other dead whale was found on Monday off the Port of Leith. The rest of the pod was seen heading south west. | |
| The operation to remove the dead whales could take until Tuesday. Tests are being carrying out on the carcasses. | |
| A further 24 pilot whales, thought to be from the same pod, were spotted in shallow water about three miles away at Cellardyke. | |
| They have been monitored for signs that they are in danger of stranding. | |
| It is hoped the refloated whales will change course and head north. | |
| The whales were refloated on Sunday after being kept alive by vets from British Divers and Marine Life Rescue. | |
| The incident involved pilot whales, approximately 20ft (6m) long. | |
| Bob McLellan, Fife Council's head of transport and environmental services, said: "This is an incredibly awkward site as we have no direct road access and the whales are lying at the bottom of a cliff. | |
| "However to move them out to sea would be problematic due to the tides. | |
| "Arrangements are now in place to winch the whales up the cliff face into specially lined skips. A specialist contractor will then deal with the disposal of the mammals. | |
| "We're working with Sepa, the State Veterinary Service, the Coastguard and contractors to get the situation dealt with as efficiently and effectively as possible." | |
| Three calves | |
| Patrols have been taking place at sea and volunteers have been walking along the coastline to check no whales have become stranded again. | |
| Efforts will also take place to establish what caused the pod to become stranded, with vets hoping to perform post-mortem examinations on some of the dead animals. | Efforts will also take place to establish what caused the pod to become stranded, with vets hoping to perform post-mortem examinations on some of the dead animals. |
| Forth coastguard were alerted to the incident at about 07:00 BST on Sunday. | Forth coastguard were alerted to the incident at about 07:00 BST on Sunday. |
| Three of the whales that died were calves. | Three of the whales that died were calves. |
| The incident drew a large number of bystanders to the scene, prompting the coastguard to urge the public to stay away to allow rescue teams to carry out their duties. | The incident drew a large number of bystanders to the scene, prompting the coastguard to urge the public to stay away to allow rescue teams to carry out their duties. |
| Coastguard teams from St Andrews and Leven, Anstruther lifeboat, and Fife Police assisted with the incident. | Coastguard teams from St Andrews and Leven, Anstruther lifeboat, and Fife Police assisted with the incident. |