Video: bid to rescue porpoise stranded in Firth of Forth

Rescuers arrived to transport the marine mammal from the Grangemouth burn to deeper water at Blackness.

A rescue operation has been launched after a harbour porpoise was found stranded in the Firth of Forth.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) officers were called to the scene after a member of the public spotted the animal struggling in shallow water in Grangemouth burn this morning.

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After checking the porpoise for injuries and taking advice from a vet, the rescue tea lifted it from the water and drove it to a spot at Blackness with deeper water.

If these prove unsuccessful, the porpoise will be taken for expert medical attention.

The BDMLR has praised the woman who found the stricken porpoise after she waded in to the cold, muddy water and helped keep it afloat until help arrived.

Video captured by Michelle Ferrier on Facebook shows the pospoise clinging to the shore as rescuers prepare to transport it to deeper water at Blackness.

Commenting on the video, Sarah Smith said the rescue went well: “[It] was looking pretty good when it left. It stayed calm and let them do their job.

“Hope the release goes as well as the rescue.”

Teri Charlton, a Marine Mammal Medic for British Divers Marine Life Rescue, gave an update in the comments.

She said: “We are moving it to deeper waters and that’s the best chance we can give the animal.”