Whale stranded on beach at Abergele, Conwy is refloated
A whale stranded on a beach in Conwy has been refloated and helped back to sea by Rhyl lifeboat.
Holyhead coastguard said they were alerted by members of the public at Abergele at about 1:36 GMT on Monday.
A coastguard team and the RSPCA and RNLI went to the scene where the whale, believed to be a minke or fin whale, was about 10ft (3m) from the shoreline.
The minke is the smallest of the baleen whales found in UK waters.
According to the Whale and Dolphin Trust the creatures, although generally solitary, can sometimes be seen in feeding groups of up to 10 animals.
Other experts believe it might be a juvenile fin whale due to the white coloration on the right side of its jaw, the relatively small dorsal fin, and its overall size.
These animals appear in small numbers off southern Ireland and in the area known as the Celtic Deep.
The RSPCA said the whale had not returned on Tuesday which was "positive" and suggested it had become stranded due to a navigational error rather than because of illness or injury.