Moby dies on mudflats

EDINBURGH - Moby, the 40ft sperm whale, which first appeared in the Firth of Forth 12 days ago, died stranded on mudflats there…

EDINBURGH - Moby, the 40ft sperm whale, which first appeared in the Firth of Forth 12 days ago, died stranded on mudflats there yesterday, wildlife experts said.

The animal died at midday, an hour after becoming stranded on the mud in the upstream shallows of the estuary, said Mr Alex Kilgour, spokesman for the Deep-Sea World, which had been monitoring him.

"He suffocated very quickly - which was nice because he wasn't in pain for too long," said Mr Kilgour. "It happened extremely quickly. We were expecting it to take six to 12 hours, which we were dreading."