Minke whale calf put down after getting stranded in London
An injured minke whale calf which became stranded in London's River Thames was put down on Monday (May 10) after its condition deteriorated and hopes for its survival faded, hundreds of miles from its home.
The stranded whale was first spotted on Sunday (May 9) night at Richmond Lock. Rescuers worked for hours to refloat it and then towed it a mile downstream.
Despite the efforts of rescuers from the Port of London Authority, Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), British Divers Marine Life Rescue, London Fire Brigade and the police, the whale was put down.
Fears for the whale grew after the injured calf headed in the wrong direction - away from the sea - and it faced a struggle for survival in the Thames, where nutrition is much more meagre than it its natural habitat in the north Atlantic.
The common minke whale is the smallest of all baleen whales, reaching 8-9 meters (26-30 feet) long. The whales prefer cooler temperatures and enjoy a varied diet of krill and schooling fish, according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation group.
They do not usually appear in the Thames and it was not clear why the calf was so far from its normal feeding grounds.
(Source: Reuters)
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