Humpback whale spotted in River Thames found dead
- Published
The humpback whale was spotted swimming near Dartford
A humpback whale seen swimming in the River Thames over the weekend has died.
The mammal was spotted lying motionless on mudflats along the River Thames at Greenhithe on Tuesday afternoon.
Sam Lipman, from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), said the death was "not wholly unexpected".
BDMLR said the whale, seen surfacing off Greenhithe on Sunday, was "definitely a humpback" and was probably lost but did not appear to be in any distress.
"It's really sad to find a humpback whale like this, deceased," Ms Lipman said.
"As the days were going on, we were seeing more photos of its condition, we were starting to realise that maybe it wasn't in the greatest of health.
"I think we weren't expecting this to happen so soon and we were hoping it wasn't going to happen at all," she added.
The humpback whale lying motionless on mudflats
The BDMLR had said the creature likely arrived because of a navigational error, possibly during the recent high spring tides.
A year ago "Benny the beluga" spent about three months in the busy waterway.
Richard Banner saw the whale surfacing while sailing on the Thames on Saturday
On Sunday, a group of volunteers had observed the mammal surfacing repeatedly over a three-hour period.
A Port of London Authority (PLA) spokesman said people who had seen it had estimated it was five or 10 metres in length.
"Benny the beluga" was regularly seen in the River Thames at the end of last year
Postings on social media have been mourning the humpback's death.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read and before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
- Published7 October 2019
- Published2 August 2019
- Published25 September 2018
