HEART-RENDING BATTLE TO SAVE THAMES WHALE
WOUNDED MINKE STRANDED IN THE THAMES FOR TWO DAYS PUT TO SLEEP TO AVOID FURTHER SUFFERING
A YOUNG whale stranded in the Thames for two days was put down last night after all hope of its survival faded.
The injured minke calf’s health was deteriorating rapidly, said Julia Cable, of British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
‘They’re going to put the whale to sleep,’ she said around 6.30pm. ‘It’s suffering quite badly – it has been for about the last 45 minutes. We’re just trying to ease any suffering.’
The 13ft whale was first spotted near Barnes Bridge on Sunday and became stranded at Richmond Lock.
Crowds lined the river to take pictures and teams from the Port of London Authority, firefighters and RNLI (pictured) worked to free the mammal.
They managed to float the minke on pontoons late on Sunday but it escaped as it was being towed to deeper water and was yesterday stuck near Teddington Lock.
Last night, the falling tide meant the whale would be beached.
Medics aimed to stop the whale re-entering deeper water – it was ‘having difficulty swimming as its strength reserves seem to be compromised’, a statement from BDMLR said. ‘Once the whale is beached, a veterinary team will be on standby to euthanise the animal to end its suffering.’ Ms Cable added: ‘The vets are here from London Zoo. They will give the whale a large anaesthetic dose which will put it to sleep. It’s as straightforward as that.
‘The whale shouldn’t feel anything. They are just putting it to sleep.’ Dan Jarvis, also of BDMLR, said a decision to euthanise the whale had been taken on Sunday night before it escaped into the river again.
He said: ‘It’s for a very good reason they’ve come ashore. Sometimes it is by accident – they do get stranded
– but usually, sadly, it is the case that they’re already seriously ill or badly injured.’
Minke whales are normally found in the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans. For a whale to swim up the Thames (see graphic) is extremely rare.