A minke whale stranded along the River Thames is to be put down, rescuers have said.
Crowds gathered at Teddington Lock in south-west London on Monday to catch a glimpse of the animal, thought to be between 10ft (3m) and 13ft (4m) long.
But the whale is now due to be put to sleep as it would not survive on its own in the sea, Julia Cable, national co-ordinator at the British Divers Marine Life Rescue service, said.
A Minke whale near Teddington Lock (Yui Mok/PA)
“The vets are here from London Zoo.
“They will give the whale a large anaesthetic dose which will put it to sleep,” Ms Cable said.
Minke whale calf swimming wrong way down London s River Thames
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Rescue operation underway to save whale stranded in River Thames
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A minke whale stranded along the River Thames is to be put down, rescuers have said.
Crowds gathered at Teddington Lock in south-west London on Monday to catch a glimpse of the animal, thought to be between 10ft (3m) and 13ft (4m) long.
But the whale is now due to be put to sleep as it would not survive on its own in the sea, Julia Cable, national co-ordinator at the British Divers Marine Life Rescue service, said.
A Minke whale near Teddington Lock (Yui Mok/PA)
“The vets are here from London Zoo.
“They will give the whale a large anaesthetic dose which will put it to sleep,” Ms Cable said.
Stranded whale freed in London s Thames river and immediately goes missing again By: CNN
Updated: 10 MAY 21 11:27 ET
By Rob Picheta, Mitchell McCluskey and Amanda Jackson, CNN
(CNN) Rescuers have freed a whale that swam hundreds of miles before getting stuck in London s River Thames but officials lost sight of the creature overnight and are now trying to find it again.
The young minke whale was spotted around 7 pm local time on Sunday, stuck near Richmond Lock on the Thames.
Marine mammal experts from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue managed to free the creature after several hours, but the whale slipped away under cover of darkness and its whereabouts are now unknown, a spokesman for the Port of London Authority told CNN on Monday.