Rescuers have freed a whale that became entangled in a rope at a fish farm off the Isle of Skye.
A member of the public spotted the humpback in difficulty at the Invertote salmon farm and contacted British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) at around 8.30am on Thursday to raise the alarm.
The BDMLR has confirmed the whale has now been freed following a rescue operation.
It said the animal is exhausted and it is continuing to monitor it.
On Thursday, the charity said the whale had become “visibly entangled in rope” at the fish farm and was “unable to swim freely”.
It said members of its large whale disentanglement team were mobilised from across the UK and worked to free the whale with the help of the local community and emergency services.
A picture released by the charity showed the mammal at the surface of the water next to a white buoy, with green rope around the top of its head.
In a statement released on Thursday, Organic Sea Harvest, which runs the Invertote farm, said normal farming operations had been “suspended” while efforts to free the whale took place.
The statement added: “Marine mammals, including dolphins and whales, are a common sight near salmon farms, but it is extremely rare for them to come into contact with our sites.
In November the large whale disentanglement team successfully freed a humpback whale that had become entangled in creel ropes in Loch Fyne.
Humpback whales are found in oceans around the world.
They can grow to around 18 metres in length and weigh up to 40 tonnes.