A tale of a Beluga whale in the Thames

Posted by Nidha Narrandes on 26 September 2018

The banks of the River Thames were flooded with onlookers eager to catch a glimpse of a lost Beluga whale bobbing in and out of the water on Tuesday. Beluga whales are usually found in the icy-cold waters of the Arctic Ocean near Greenland, and it is highly unusual to find them anywhere near the Thames. Ecologist, Dave Andrews, first spotted the whale in the water and grew seriously concerned for its safety when it lost energy.


“Can’t believe I’m writing this, no joke – BELUGA in the Thames off Coalhouse Fort,” he wrote in a tweet.

Andrews said the whale had been feeding around the barges across the Thames near Gravesend in Kent for around an hour and had not moved more than 200 metres.
The mammal appeared to be ‘thrashing about’near Tilbury Dock, which is one of London’s major ports.

Concern for the whale’s safety grew as huge freight ships sailed over the mammal in quick succession. Marine rescuers in the area have warned boats and locals to keep away from the whale until it is safely back in chartered waters.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue, an organisation dedicated to the rescue and well-being of all marine animals in distress around the UK tweeted that they are monitoring the situation closely.

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