Whale is found stranded in the Thames

A desperate rescue is under way after a baby whale was spotted stranded along the River Thames today.

Crowds of concerned spectators gathered along the river in Richmond Lock, south west London, after the aquatic mammal – which is normally found in deep waters- was spotted floating in the waters earlier at around 7.30pm.

Earlier today, rescuers began checking the infant’s vitals and hosed the animal down with water at the river’s edge as they waited for a team of marine experts to arrive.  

An RNLI lifeboat, which was deployed from Chiswick, west London, is now at the scene along with the Fire service.

The beached whale, which some witnesses have claimed could be 13ft-long, was spotted earlier in the day swimming in the Thames under Barnes Bridge before it became stranded in Richmond.

A man sprays the baby whale with water after it was spotted stranded along the River Thames today

Earlier today, Richard Frank, who is at the scene in Richmond Lock, said: ‘Seems to be a baby whale stuck by Richmond Lock Bridge… Poor thing. Being looked after by the lock keepers and waiting for experts to arrive.’ 

He added: ‘Not moving a lot, but honestly no idea. At least someone has arrived who looks like they might know what they’re doing health wise, but with low tide still to come it looks pretty tough to me.’

While another added: ‘This is one very very lost whale. It’s gone through the whole of London to Richmond Lock.’ 

Meanwhile another wrote on social media: ‘There’s a beached whale in the #Thames in #Richmond.’ 

And another added: ‘Whale stuck at Richmond lock bridge!’ 

The scenes come after a team of rescuers were sent out to recover a sperm whale that died after getting caught in the Thames estuary last year. 

Crowds of spectators have gathered along the river in Richmond Lock, south west London , after the aquatic mammal was spotted

The aquatic mammal – which is normally found in deep waters- was spotted floating in the waters earlier this afternoon

Rescuers tend to the infant whale as they wait for a team of marine experts to arrive 

A woman tends to the baby mammal after it was found stranded in Richmond Lock

In February last year, a small team on a Forth Linesman boat set out to recover the creature as it lay washed up on the Spitend Marshes on the Isle of Sheppey in Swale, Kent. 

The whale was found stranded and dead just before midday on February 1, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue confirmed.

The whale had appeared confused and was changing direction regularly when swimming around mudflats in north Kent.

Its body was later secured for examination by the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme as they tried to establish why the ocean-going animal had come into the Thames estuary.

In 2019, a humpback whale, nicknamed Hessy, died in the Thames just 11 days after it was first sighted. 

The juvenile female had been travelling back and forth over a stretch of five miles after it was first sighted near Dartford Bridge in Kent before it was found dead by rescuers. 

Concerned social media users took to Twitter after the whale was found in the Thames

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue – who had been keeping a close eye on the creature – said it likely died of ‘natural causes’ brought on by starvation, after it appeared underweight and had scarring.

A detailed postmortem examination later found the mammal was ‘nutritionally compromised’ while experts found a heavy burden of parasites within the humpback’s intestine.