Whale in Central London Update=Whale Dies
Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:23 am
Not every day this happens!
Whale spotted in central London
A large whale has been spotted in the River Thames in central London by boaters and sightseers.
The mammal, thought to be a pilot whale which can grow to 20ft, was seen swimming past the Houses of Parliament.
"I saw it blow, it was a spout of water which sparkled in the air," said Tom Howard-Vyne, who works at the London Eye, on the other side of the river.
The whale is believed to have travelled upstream passing the Thames Barrier early on Friday morning.
'Breathing normally'
"It was on this side of Westminster Bridge and 10 minutes ago it was near the House of Commons, " said Mr Howard-Vyne. "It was an amazing sight."
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) sent a lifeboat to check up on the whale's condition.
Liz Sandeman, a medic of the Marine Connection, a whale and dolphin protection charity, accompanied the RNLI to examine the animal.
"It looks quite healthy and quite relaxed," she said. "It's breathing normally and its weight seems good."
She said boats in the river could be a danger to the animal.
"There's also the noise which could affect it - the Thames is extremely busy. The last thing we want to do is stress the animal out.
"Some people think it has lost its way or is not feeling well, but it's very hard to say why it is here."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4631396.stm
Whale spotted in central London
A large whale has been spotted in the River Thames in central London by boaters and sightseers.
The mammal, thought to be a pilot whale which can grow to 20ft, was seen swimming past the Houses of Parliament.
"I saw it blow, it was a spout of water which sparkled in the air," said Tom Howard-Vyne, who works at the London Eye, on the other side of the river.
The whale is believed to have travelled upstream passing the Thames Barrier early on Friday morning.
'Breathing normally'
"It was on this side of Westminster Bridge and 10 minutes ago it was near the House of Commons, " said Mr Howard-Vyne. "It was an amazing sight."
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) sent a lifeboat to check up on the whale's condition.
Liz Sandeman, a medic of the Marine Connection, a whale and dolphin protection charity, accompanied the RNLI to examine the animal.
"It looks quite healthy and quite relaxed," she said. "It's breathing normally and its weight seems good."
She said boats in the river could be a danger to the animal.
"There's also the noise which could affect it - the Thames is extremely busy. The last thing we want to do is stress the animal out.
"Some people think it has lost its way or is not feeling well, but it's very hard to say why it is here."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4631396.stm
That's one way to put it.
