THE British Divers Marine Life Rescue team is monitoring a fin whale which was resighted swimming in the Dee Estuary last night after being rescued.

The team reported on Facebook tonight: “Our team of medics along with the local Coastguard, RNLI and people who helped yesterday have been working hard providing first aid to the whale throughout the day today.

“It is stranded a long way from the shore and the main channel of the estuary with the tide out most of the time so it has been an exhausting effort.

“A water pump was employed to help relay water from the channel closer to the whale so Medics could gather buckets of water to help keep its skin wet so it didn't dry out and cause further discomfort, while thin sheets have been put over its back to help make it comfortable, but there is not a great deal else that could be done.

“The breathing rate was quite high for some time but gradually calmed down to a more normal rate, though it seemed less responsive in itself than it did yesterday.

“The tide has now come in once again so our team have withdrawn to safety. The whale is still alive and it will be monitored from the boat and the shore.

“It is critical to understand how difficult this situation is. A whale of this size would weigh approximately 14 tonnes and it cannot simply be dragged by heavy machinery or lifted by a crane or helicopter.

“These methods could easily cause severe injury as well as induce severe stress, panic and shock that could lead to its death.

“Although we want to be optimistic, we have to be absolutely realistic about the animal's chances of survival at this point.

“It has spent several hours out of the water gradually being crushed under its own weight over the last couple of days and the degree of internal damage this may have caused could be very significant by now.

“Even if it does swim off again this evening there is a high chance that it will restrand and/or pass away as a result.

Its been a very long and tough day for our team so we would like to thank them for their efforts as well as the local Coastguard and RNLI team and local residents, as well as North Wales Police who have had to control crowds and prevent people from coming into the dangerous estuary to get closer to the whale.

“Everyone has worked together as an amazing team throughout and once again all we can do is watch and wait.”

The team reported this morning: “Sadly the fin whale was resighted swimming in the Dee Estuary last night just before it got dark and has been found restranded this morning in the same area.

“We have our volunteer Medic team on the way again to assess the situation and whale's current condition.

“Our key concern now is that not only has the animal returned to the estuary after leaving, but that by the time the tide comes back in at lunchtime today that it will have spent a considerable amount of time out of the water.

“Whales have never evolved to be able to support their own weight on land of course, so when stranded they gradually crush themselves, causing significant internal damage to themselves.

“While yesterday we were fortunate that the animal was only stranded for a relatively short amount of time where any damage would have been limited, being stranded again now for some more hours will add to any damage that it has already sustained and may make it unviable to survive.

“Due to the size and weight of the animal and the geography of the area, it is not possible to get the animal closer to the water to help relieve the pressure on its body.

“Dragging the animal by its tail will cause significant injuries and is not an option. As we mentioned yesterday, putting the animal to sleep is also incredibly difficult for a variety of reasons related to its size too.

“We are saddened to say that the outlook today is looking less positive than yesterday, and we will update later with more news as the incident unfolds.”