The sombre sight of a young minke whale washed up dead on the Suffolk coast has been captured by a drone pilot.
Matt Porter, who regularly posts footage under the alias The Gadget Man, uploaded video of the beached whale on Sunday afternoon.
The minke, reported to be an adolescent, was one of two washed up on the Suffolk coast over the weekend, with the other – a 40ft adult – coming ashore at Felixstowe beach between the pier and Mannings Amusement Park on Saturday evening.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the body of a third dead minke, another adult, was floating around 20 miles off the coast and not expected to come ashore.
Mr Porter was in Orford taking footage of the castle and quay when he was told about the minke further up the coast.
“I had some doubts about whether to take it because it was a bit ghoulish,” he said.
“I would rather see whales in their natural habitat swimming happily and it’s a shame to see such a magnificent animal in a sad predicament.
“However, as I was there and happened to have my drone with me, I thought it would still be of interest.”
The bodies of the two beached whales are expected to be removed by lorry. However a spokesman for Suffolk Coastal District Council said its contractor Norse was unlikely to complete the removal today.
Onlookers in Felixstowe said the adult minke appeared to have been hit by a propeller, though it could have died through natural causes.
Other possible factors include poor hydration, not feeding properly, or disease.
The British Divers Marine Life Rescue said minke were “quite abundant in the North Sea” where food is plentiful.
However, John Cresswell, from the Felixstowe Volunteer Coast Patrol Rescue Service, said whales could become disorientated closer to shore where mud banks interfered with their sonar.
Visit here for more of Mr Porter’s drone videos of the local area.
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