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Whale in the Thames! (1 Viewer)

Ruth Daniel said:
Hi all,
Just been watching this a northern bottle-nosed whale in London!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4631396.stm
Amazing!!
Take a look!
Click to expand...


What a surreal picture of a whale swimming past the houses of parliament. I don't think I'll ever live to see that again! I hope the comments about putting it down are hugely overstated and they leave the poor thing alone. Guiding it gently back out to sea is one thing but exerting our 'superiority' over it by killing or capturing it would be abhorrant.

I hope the news keeps us informed and that the news is good and it's returned safely to its pod.

Moogie
 
Hi.

I've just been watching on Sky News and a chap said that they should just watch over it and let nature take its course. If it manages to get back to sea all well and good, he says the fact that it is there at all means its probably not well. Poor thing I hope it does manage to get back.
 
Goodness, brings back memories of Humphrey the Humpback whale that stranded himself in San Francisco Bay in 1985 and 1990, and was seen again in 1991 off the Farallon Islands (26 miles off SFB).

Hope this little guy can get herded back out to sea. :t:
 
I got a text from a friend about this while I was at work, all it said was "there's a whale in the Themes". I was confused and wondering what was going on so as soon as I came home I went to the BBC new site to find out what was going on! Wish I could get down there!
 
Poor thing...I hope things turn out well and it manages to get back out to sea. Just caught the tail end of BBC24 news but I dont think anythings changed.
 
I just got an email from someone who was quoted in one of the press articles that this is a juvenile whale that had been seen swimming with an adult, and that the adult is at Southend. The juvie is still in the Thames and apparently the press has gone into a frenzy on site. I've never seen this species, wish I were there! ;)
 
Katy Penland said:
The juvie is still in the Thames and apparently the press has gone into a frenzy on site. I've never seen this species, wish I were there! ;)
Click to expand...

I know what you mean, but this whale's completely out of its natural environment and seems to be in a bad way from all reports. In those circumstances it might not be easy to get too much pleasure from seeing it.
 
Never seen one of these whales but I wouldn't want to see this poor thing, only reason I'd want to be there is if I could physically help in some way. Only hope that they can get it to turn around and head to open water but I have my doubts sadly. The salt concentration where it is will be lower than in the open ocean so it must be undergoing tremendous physiological problems with maintaining it's salt levels, this can't be tolerated for too long.
 
Biggest problem would be the lack of anything to eat, not the relative salinity of the water and, of course, industrial and other toxic pollution from what's dumped into the river. If it's been injured, that too could cause problems. I'm sure it's terribly confused just being in a small, shallow channel where its acoustic sense of direction is undoubtedly screwed up.

Keeping my fingers crossed over here. :t:
 
Katy Penland said:
toxic pollution from what's dumped into the river.

(Thames is not too bad as far as pollution goes - one of the cleanest rivers in Europe now)

Keeping my fingers crossed over here. :t:
Click to expand...

This morning the news does not seem to be too good. Apparently it is still near Chelsea Bridge and appears not to be in too good a state now. Really sad. They seem to think that if it beaches itself at low tide at Midday they might be able to rescue it and tow it back out to sea. Doesn't sound very hopeful.

Bridie
 
Sorry, Beebers, didn't mean to cast aspersions on your Thames. ;) It's just that any chemical pollution, especially vessel oil that leaks out from boats and ships can be very harmful to mammals that have to surface to breathe. With a critter like this one that's spending so much time at the surface, even contact with the skin can be enough to cause lesions, especially in the eyes. Hope they can herd him/her out of there as quickly as possible.

Keeping fingers and toes crossed! :t:
 
Hi Katy,

We know you weren't casting aspersions on the Thames but just stating the facts, it is a busy river although it is a lot cleaner these days pollution levels having dropped.

I hope not too many press or sightseers have taken to the water, less not more boats around is what the whale needs now.

Katy, you know more about whales than the rest of us can you tell me is it feasible to block the river with boats hoping the whale will turn or is it so disorientated and distressed that it would just plough into them? If they are able to catch it in low water I know every care will be taken to tow it carefully without too much damage.

Do all whales travel in family groups "pods" or are some solitary? Sorry just thinking of it being lost, frightened and all alone with none of its own kind to guide it.

Let us hope it can be returned to the sea safely.

Ann
 
Hi All, this is the latest from the bbc news website

Rescuers are attempting to get a giant sling underneath a whale which has become stranded in shallow water in the River Thames in London.
 
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