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A young minke whale has died after stranding on a shore of the Inner Moray Firth near Inverness on Tuesday night.

Twenty volunteers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue were among those who tried to refloat the animal after it got into difficulty close to Ardersier.

The Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme is to carry out a necropsy.

Charlie Phillips, of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, said the whale appeared to be thin and in poor condition.

Soldiers from Fort George, near Ardersier, and coastguard officers helped in work to remove the animal from the shoreline.

Common minke whales are found in oceans all over the world, and adult females can grow to more than 10m (33ft) in length.