Beached whale to be put down after vets decide the 50ft wounded mammal is too sick to be refloated

Valiant efforts to save the life of an injured whale that became stranded on a beach in Cornwall have been dashed after vets said the animal was too sick to be refloated.
Beach walkers were stunned after they came across the giant 50ft whale Fin whale at Carolyn Bay in St Austell in Cornwal just before 5pm this afternoon.
Rescuers rushed to the scene to try and help the injured mammal get back into the sea but this evening vets from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said there was no hope of refloating the animal.

Heartbreaking: Rescuers examine the female Fin whale as it lays stranded on the beach at Carolyn Bay in St Austell, Cornwall, this evening

Helpless: The rescue workers try desperately to relax the 50ft long mammal as it fights to stay alive on the Cornish coast

Sad: The whale tries in vain to escape back out to the sea as the waves crash against its enormous frame. The stranded whale was spotted by holidaymakers just after 5pm and initially rescuers had hoped to refloat it

Wellwishers: The area by the stranded whale was cordoned off, but a crowd remained at the beach this evening as locals hoped for a happy outcome

Discovery: Beach walkers had been left stunned after they came across the giant 50ft whale whale just before 5pm this afternoon

Hoping: Word of the stranded whale soon spread and local quickly descended on the spot where the animal had beached to get a glimpse of the huge underwater giant

Faye Archell of the BDMLR said destroying the animal was an 'incredibly difficult decision to take' but it was also in its best interests.
She added: 'It is incredibly under nourished and has a very high breathing rate which suggests it is very sick and distressed.'
The whale, stranded on an outgoing tide, was also injured around one eye and there were reports of a gash on its underside.
 
Ms Archell added: 'It would be wrong for us to put a sick animal back into the sea. We are frustrated about it but we cannot help it.'
Insp Dave Meredith, of Devon and Cornwall Police, who tweeted updates throughout the incident said: 'Sadly the whale at Carlyon bay is too sick for recovery. It is going to be humanely destroyed. Very sad.'
Teams from St Austell Coast Guard, Devon and Cornwall Police and British Divers Marine Life Rescue - BDLMR came to the aid of the marooned animal which was reported as 'alive and thrashing about in the shallow water'.
A spokesman for Brixham Coastguard said they had received a call from a member of the public and had immediately tasked forces to attend.

Unfortunate: The whale thrashes around on the water's edge as rescuers try to come up with a plan to help the injured animal earlier today

Rescuers rushed to the scene to try and help the injured mammal get back into the sea but this evening vets from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said there was no hope of refloating the animal

Earlier vet Darryl Thorpe, of the BDLMR, was optimistic that the whale could be refloated but was concerned that the outgoing tide could prove to be a problem.
He added: 'The problem is the animal’s physical size and it could have suffered internal damage.'
Members of the public are also at the bay trying to help return the stranded mammal to sea.
Fin whales are the world’s second largest animal after the Blue Whale and are listed as a globally-endangered species.
They can grow to up to 85ft and weigh in at 80 tonnes, and eat food consisting of small schooling fish, squid, and crustaceans including shrimps and krill.
Fin whales are most common in the southern hemisphere but smaller populations have been known to inhabit the North Atlantic.