Small Whale Freed After Becoming Stranded Along The River Thames
On Sunday evening a whale who became stranded along the River Thames in south-west London has been freed.
Believed to be a Minke, hundreds gathered at Richmond Lock and Weir after the whale became stuck on the lock’s boat rollers about 7.30pm.
The whale would have had to swim through central London to end up in Richmond.
Videos showed it being hosed down by a man believed to be a Port of London Authority (PLA) staff member, while a vet performed a check-up at the river’s edge, before the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) arrived at the scene to the cheers of onlookers around 9pm.
Fire crews were also at the scene, along with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue service.
The London Fire Brigade told the BBC the whale had been moved to a suitable and stable location where it would be assessed to determine the scale of its injuries and whether it could be released.
