Rescuers are attempting, for the second time, to catch a stranded whale in the River Thames in London.
The whale, first spotted near Barnes Bridge on Sunday, is thought to be a baby minke.
RNLI teams saved the whale, but while being towed to safety it managed to escape an inflatable cushion that was guiding it. A number of hours later it was found a few miles along the river in Teddington, but has now headed back towards Richmond.
The future of the whale “still hangs in the balance”, and there is concern it may have sustained some injuries.
The whale was in the process of being moved to a more stable location where it could be assessed. This would have helped determine the scale of its injuries and decide whether it could be released or not. Unfortunately it escaped before any assessments could be made.
The whale got stuck on Richmond Lock’s boat rollers. The lock, located between Teddington and Richmond, is comprised of three vertical steel gates suspended from a footbridge. According to the Port of London Authority, which owns and operates the lock, the whale became stranded at about 19:00 BST.
Within a couple of hours RNLI rescuers arrived to help the animal off the concrete. Measuring approximately 3-4m (10-13ft) long, this was no easy task. Fire crews and marine rescue divers were also at the scene to give aid. They tried for several hours to float the whale.
They couldn’t believe their eyes
It was a surprise to see the whale at first, as it’s not every day something like this happens. Now everyone is just hoping they can get it out safely.
Minke whales are the smallest of the great whales, and at full adult size can grow to about 10m (33ft). They are usually found throughout the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They are often found at the ice edge in the Arctic during the summer and near to the equator during winter. It is not known how the poor thing ended up in London.
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