A small whale has been stranded along the River Thames in south-west London.
Hundreds gathered at Richmond Lock and Weir on Sunday evening after the whale, believed to be a Minke whale – between three to four metres long, became stuck.
Videos showed it being hosed down by a man, while a vet performed a check-up at the river’s edge, before the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) arrived at the scene to cheers at around 9pm.
A witness has told the PA news agency that “quite the crowd” watched as the attempted rescue took place.
A man has been seen hosing down the whale (Jake Manketo/PA)
The minke whale pictured at Teddington lock on Monday. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA
PAMedia
Mon 10 May 2021 11.50 EDT
First published on Sun 9 May 2021 17.40 EDT
Hopes of saving the small whale that has become stranded along the River Thames for a second time are running out.
Hundreds of people had gathered at Richmond lock and weir in south-west London on Sunday after the whale, a minke between three and four metres long, became stuck on the lock’s boat rollers.
Videos showed it being hosed down by a man believed to be a Port of London authority (PLA) employee while a vet performed a checkup at the river’s edge, before the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) arrived at about 9pm. Fire crews were also at the scene, along with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue service.
A small whale has been stranded along the River Thames in south-west London.
Hundreds gathered at Richmond Lock and Weir on Sunday evening after the whale, believed to be a Minke whale – between three to four metres long, became stuck.
Videos showed it being hosed down by a man, while a vet performed a check-up at the river’s edge, before the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) arrived at the scene to cheers at around 9pm.
A witness has told the PA news agency that “quite the crowd” watched as the attempted rescue took place.
A man has been seen hosing down the whale (Jake Manketo/PA)
A man could be seen spraying water onto the whale to keep it hydrated. Credit: Twitter/@JakeManketo
A small whale has been stranded along the River Thames in south-west London and rescuers are working to save it.
Hundreds gathered at Richmond Lock and Weir on Sunday evening after the whale, believed to be a Minke whale – between three to four metres long, became stuck.
Videos showed it being hosed down by a man, while a vet performed a check-up at the river’s edge, before the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) arrived at the scene to cheers at around 9pm.
A small whale has been stranded along the River Thames in south-west London.
Hundreds gathered at Richmond Lock and Weir on Sunday evening after the whale, believed to be a Minke whale – between three to four metres long, became stuck.
Videos showed it being hosed down by a man, while a vet performed a check-up at the river’s edge, before the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) arrived at the scene to cheers at around 9pm.
A witness has told the PA news agency that “quite the crowd” watched as the attempted rescue took place.
A man has been seen hosing down the whale (Jake Manketo/PA)