A young killer whale found deceased on an Orkney beach is thought to have died after becoming entangled in rope.
We told how the orca was discovered washed up on Papa Westray on Monday.
It was recovered by the Scottish Marine Animals Stranding Scheme (SMASS), who performed a post-mortem to find out its apparent cause of death.
They discovered the juvenile whale's most likely cause of death was drowning after becoming entangled in rope which could have came from fishing gear.
The male was identified as one which regularly visits Shetland as part of the 27's pod of orcas.
A report from SMASS said that no rope was found on the animal.
However, a pattern of cuts and lesions were detailed on its tail which means "it is likely the animal became entangled prior to death, was unable to reach the surface and drowned."
The orca was otherwise a healthy one, with good body condition and it had recently eaten quite a lot of seal.
SMASS were quick to warn about the perils of polluting the ocean, as sea mammals like killer whales are most at-risk of being killed by fishing gear or rubbish.
A statement from them added: "Entanglements are not deliberate and there are many fishers out there who are positively and proactively engaging with efforts to mitigate the impact of fishing on our marine ecosystems.
"More needs to be done however- strategies to have less rope in the water and better management of gear conflict are urgently needed.
"This group of killer whales could be particularly at risk given they are frequently sighted in areas with high mobile and static fishing effort."
SMASS are still investigating the deaths of five bottlenose dolphins that were involved in an "unusual" mass stranding at Nigg Bay, along with the three beaked whales who washed up dead in Dumfries and Galloway.
