London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Young whale trapped in London's River Thames euthanized

Young whale trapped in London's River Thames euthanized

A young whale trapped in London's River Thames was euthanized after becoming stranded for a second time on a river embankment Monday evening.

The minke whale's condition had deteriorated throughout the day as it struggled in the unfamiliar environment, and it was "humanely put to sleep" by veterinary experts, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue said in a statement.

"Medics used inflatable pontoons to prevent the animal from slipping back into the river, which allowed the veterinary team from the Zoological Society of London to further assess the animal and end its suffering," the statement read.

The whale had likely swum hundreds of miles before it was spotted around 7 p.m. on Sunday, stuck near Richmond Lock. Once freed, the whale slipped away under cover of darkness before rescuers could take further action, a spokesperson for the Port of London Authority told CNN.

The rescue team "managed to get a special inflatable pontoon around (the whale), and then floated it out onto the main river," Port of London Authority spokesperson Martin Garside told CNN. "At that point, the whale made its own decision and swam from the pontoon into the main river."

The whale was found again on Monday morning against the river wall, raising concerns it would become beached again.

The whale, estimated to be about 10 to 13 feet long, ended up far from its natural habitat. A postmortem examination will be carried out to try to establish how the whale came to be in "poor condition and lost in the river."

"This species lives in the northern North Sea, so it's very lost," Garside said. "It's a very young whale and it's in a very dicey situation and its life is hanging in the balance."


Minke whales can grow to weigh around 20,000 pounds and typically live for about 50 years, according to the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Garside said his organization tends to whales in the Thames around once a year, but no whale had ever swum so far west up the Thames.

The rescue team included officers from the Port of London Authority, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the London Fire Brigade.

Spectator Daniel Magee, who recorded several videos of the whale, said he initially assumed it was a seal.

"As we got closer I saw a fin and realized it was a whale," Magee told CNN on Sunday. "Some lock keepers hosing him down and it looked like the tide was going up so he could turn around. I realized that the whale might be injured as it started rolling on its side and thrashing about."


Another spectator, David Korsaks, told CNN he was surprised to see anything other than birds in the area.

"It was almost disbelief and shock to see a whale where you would normally only see ducks and swans," Korsaks said. "My next thoughts were I hope it's ok and manages to swim free."

Sophie Milner told CNN she took video of the whale after seeing people gathered at the scene.


"We just saw a crowd of people looking at the whale. It was being looked after by some specialists by the time we got there," she said.

It is unusual, but not unprecedented, for whales to enter the Thames and require rescuing.

In 2018, a Beluga whale was found in the river.

And in 2006, a bottlenose whale was spotted in central London, sparking a massive operation to return her to safety. Rescuers used a crane to lift her out of the river and onto a barge. But the whale died on the barge hours later, before it could be returned to deeper water.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×