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  Channel NewsAsia 22 Jan 06
Whale has died, rescue worker says

Channel NewsAsia 21 Jan 06
London stunned by rare whale in River Thames

LONDON : Bemused Londoners watched as a northern bottle-nosed whale swam up the River Thames past the Houses of Parliament, the first sighting of the endangered species there since records began nearly a century ago.

The large mammal, which could be injured, swam upstream into the historic heart of the British capital on Friday as amazed onlookers crowded the riverbanks to witness the extraordinary sight.

A second whale, believed to be of the same species, was spotted at Southend, near the end of the Thames estuary, said the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) charity.

The whale, which normally lives in deep water, became briefly stranded in the shallows near the disused Battersea power station and people waded into the river to try to refloat it. The whale was followed by a flock of intrigued gulls, a helicopter and four boats making sure it did not get into bother with any river traffic. Onlookers cheered when it surfaced to spout water from its blowhole.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) told AFP the whale was tiring and police said they thought it might be injured. The BDMLR's Tony Woodley, monitoring the whale's movements, told AFP the group's members were ready to help if the mammal beached again. However, they would not intervene as long as the animal was swimming freely.

He said the second whale off the Southend coast could be an adult while the whale in the Thames was a youngster. "This animal has stranded twice. This is very concerning," he said. "It might be unwell. It's certainly very stressed and in relatively shallow waters. These are deep-water species, not coastal or estuary ones. "For an animal such as this to be where it is very unusual and concerning."

Woodley said that an experienced marine mammal vet was on his way to the scene, as was specialist pontoon equipment to possibly refloat the whale should it beach.

Richard Sabin, an expert from the Natural History Museum, identified the mammal as a northern bottle-nosed whale. He said it was the first sighting on the Thames since records began in 1913. The whales, normally found in deep offshore waters in the Arctic Ocean and the northern Atlantic, can grow to 10 metres (33 feet) long and weigh up to eight tonnes. The population has been severely depleted due to commercial whaling.

A spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police said officers had been alerted just after 9:00 am (0900 GMT) by members of the public watching the whale at Jubilee Bridge over the Thames.

"The whale is not believed to be in a good condition and may be injured. Police are working with the RNLI to ensure the safe navigation of craft on the river while the whale is in the Thames," she said.

The RNLI sent a boat out to monitor the whale's health. A spokeswoman said: "It was found to be very tired but it was OK. It's not ill. They are monitoring it. They won't intervene unless it becomes stranded and a further assessment will be made."

Dolphins, seals and porpoises have all been unexpected visitors to the Thames in recent years, a testament to the recovering state of the once biologically-dead tidal river.

The Zoological Society of London recorded the sighting of 103 marine mammals in the Thames in the year to June 2005, mostly near the estuary. That included more than 100 seals, 62 porpoises and 18 dolphins. - AFP /ls

Channel NewsAsia 22 Jan 06
Whale has died, rescue worker says

LONDON - The lost whale that swam along the River Thames into central London died Saturday while on a barge that was trying to save it and eventually return it to the wild, a top rescue worker said.

At around 7:00 pm (1900 GMT) "the animal had convulsions and died. It was not put to sleep," said Tony Woodley, spokesman of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue Group (BDMLR), citing news from the barge. "It's dreadful news, but I'm afraid this is the kind of thing that can happen with these kinds of animals. And it's a dreadful shame. We've been throwing everything we can at this," he told Sky News television.

He said he could not speculate on the cause of death. "It's probably multiple problems," he said. "Obviously the animal is very stressed by being not in its natural environment. But we were trying to get it into its natural environment before this happened," he said. - AFP /ls

See also BBC website for videos and factsheets
Lost whale 'seen heading for sea' 20 Jan 06
Whale spotted in central London 20 Jan 06
Rescuers ready for Thames whale 20 Jan 06
Lost whale dies after rescue bid 21 Jan 06
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