Baby whale is found stranded in the Thames: Crowds flock to see ‘very lost’ animal as experts try to save it after it became beached at Richmond Lock
- Beached whale has been spotted stranded along the River Thames today
- Crowds of spectators have gathered along the river in Richmond Lock, London
- Rescuers been checking the whale’s vitals and spraying the animal with water
A desperate rescue is under way after a baby whale was spotted stranded along the River Thames today.
Crowds of concerned spectators gathered along the river in Richmond Lock, south west London, after the aquatic mammal – which is normally found in deep waters- was spotted floating in the waters earlier at around 7.30pm.
Earlier today, rescuers began checking the infant’s vitals and hosed the animal down with water at the river’s edge as they waited for a team of marine experts to arrive.
An RNLI lifeboat, which was deployed from Chiswick, west London, is now at the scene along with the Fire service.
The beached whale, which some witnesses have claimed could be 13ft-long, was spotted earlier in the day swimming in the Thames under Barnes Bridge before it became stranded in Richmond.
A man sprays the baby whale with water after it was spotted stranded along the River Thames today
Earlier today, Richard Frank, who is at the scene in Richmond Lock, said: ‘Seems to be a baby whale stuck by Richmond Lock Bridge… Poor thing. Being looked after by the lock keepers and waiting for experts to arrive.’
He added: ‘Not moving a lot, but honestly no idea. At least someone has arrived who looks like they might know what they’re doing health wise, but with low tide still to come it looks pretty tough to me.’
While another added: ‘This is one very very lost whale. It’s gone through the whole of London to Richmond Lock.’
Meanwhile another wrote on social media: ‘There’s a beached whale in the #Thames in #Richmond.’
And another added: ‘Whale stuck at Richmond lock bridge!’
The scenes come after a giant sperm whale was spotted in the Thames Estuary in January last year.
Crowds of spectators have gathered along the river in Richmond Lock, south west London , after the aquatic mammal was spotted
The aquatic mammal – which is normally found in deep waters- was spotted floating in the waters earlier this afternoon
Rescuers tend to the infant whale as they wait for a team of marine experts to arrive
A woman tends to the baby mammal after it was found stranded in Richmond Lock
The huge mammal was first spotted off the coast in Whitstable, Kent, before it was seen in The Swale, a stretch of water between the Isle of Sheppey and the Kent mainland.
Volunteers from the charity British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were later dispatched to The Swale to closely monitor the sperm whale from a distance.
In 2019, a humpback whale, nicknamed Hessy, died in the Thames just 11 days after it was first sighted.
The juvenile female had been travelling back and forth over a stretch of five miles after it was first sighted near Dartford Bridge in Kent before it was found dead by rescuers.
Concerned social media users took to Twitter after the whale was found in the Thames
The British Divers Marine Life Rescue – who had been keeping a close eye on the creature – said it likely died of ‘natural causes’ brought on by starvation, after it appeared underweight and had scarring.
A detailed postmortem examination later found the mammal was ‘nutritionally compromised’ while experts found a heavy burden of parasites within the humpback’s intestine.
