World News
Stranded whale rescued from Thames
By IANS
Jan 22, 2006, 00:31

A deep-sea whale stranded in London's river Thames for over a day died on its way back to the open sea Saturday following a dramatic rescue operation and suffering multiple convulsions later on.

British veterinarians and marine biologists said the mammal's chances of survival were still uncertain, as a barge transported the five-metre-long northern bottle-nosed whale to the mouth of the Thames pending the outcome of blood tests.

If vets say the animal is healthy enough to survive, it will be released at sea, the BBC reported.

Whales can suffocate to death if kept outside water for a long time as their lungs get compressed under thier own weight

The mammal was first spotted gliding and surfacing like a submarine near parliament buildings in London on Friday. It was unclear why it had swum up the river.

Rescuers on Saturday put a giant sling underneath the whale, as vets examined it in shallow waters near the capital's Battersea Bridge.

The whale was then put on a special pontoon that was tied to two boats and towed towards the waiting Port of London Authority barge.

Crowds again flocked to the riverbank to catch a glimpse, and there was also concern that helicopters being used to film the rescue could be disturbing the animal.

The whale was bleeding into the waters from at least one point, and was said by rescuers to be deeply distressed.

Experts said it was the first time since records began in 1913 that such a whale, a deep-sea variety common in the North Atlantic, had been spotted in the Thames.

Boaters and sightseers were first alerted to the spectacle during mid-morning Friday, witnessing the whale swimming past the key central London landmarks of parliament and Big Ben.

The sighting was described as "extraordinary" by experts, who believed that, like a number of dolphins previously, the whale "got lost". Rescuers have been hoping to get the whale to turn round and swim back into the sea.

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